Right Time Right Space?
by AlienaCooper
Summary: I was found as a young woman in the middle of no where seven years ago by people who would be my family. I had no memory, no a past. I built up a new life. And then he changed it all. R&R please! Better summery inside. Rating subject to change.
1. Looking Back On The Present

Summery: I woke up seven years ago, a young woman in my late teens, no memories what so ever. No family. No self knowledge. No real language! I was adopted into the family that found me, treated like one of their own. I made myself a new life, created new memories, remade who 'me' was. And then HE came along… and he changed everything.

A/N: I know where I want to go with this, I don't know if I can write it. I'd like to know what you guys think of it, and if I should bother continuing with this plot line, it'll probably just end up being a plot-dust-bunny. Let me know please!

Chapter One

Looking Back On The Present

It's a strange thing, hindsight. You can look back on an event and simply think 'wow that was stupid… I should have done this', when you know all too well that you had no idea, and therefore could not have done it. Still… it's good to look back and think what you could have done- even should have done!

With me? If I knew in advance, I would have worn a shorter dress, probably a cheaper one. And brought flat pumps with me, instead of just relying on my gigantic six inch pointed stilettos that had taken me three years to learn and walk on. Though admittedly now I'm a pro… I can't stand them.

Thing is… I had no idea what was going to happen that night. I had no idea that one minute I'd be sipping drinks and rubbing shoulders with the filthy rich, famous and infamous, next running for my life from these… I'm getting ahead of myself. I always do this, my family always told me off for it. Understandably, starting a story from the middle? Never made sense… not to anyone else that is.

But again, that is hindsight's gift isn't it? I should have started from the beginning… and now I've confused you. So… I think I should start from the beginning, the very beginning, of how I ended up where I am today.

Amnesia.

That is fundamentally it. Amnesia. I have it. Or had it… until recently. My memory when… when I first met my family I suppose, first started that day. About seven years ago (although to be honest time at the moment is beginning to get a little skewed to me), Uncle Ricky found me wandering the country side outside of New York, the tri-state area really. My clothes were in rags, white as a sheet and blank expression. I looked like a zombie.

Now uncle Ricky very rarely stops to help someone. He's been brought up in a dog eat dog society, where the nice guys finish last, as it were. So the fact he stopped to help me goes to show how bad I must have looked.

According to him, and Cristoforo (I call him Chrissi) his son, they pulled up next to me and asked if I needed a lift. I looked at them blankly, and collapsed to the floor. Chrissi got worried, and their immediate reaction was to pick me up to take me to a hospital.

Uncle Ricky paid for my care for the three days I was out, intending to make me pay him back. In those three days, Joanna heard about me, and came to visit me everyday, with Chrissi. On the fourth day, I woke up.

That's when my memory kicks in. I remember feeling a hard bed beneath my back, uncomfortable sheets and not liking the light directly above my head, it made me feel sick. I lifted and arm to cover my eyes, when I heard a cry out. I glanced to one side to see a girl sitting there, she flung her arms round me as though she had known me all her life.

Turned out to be Joanna. See- I know that now… I didn't know that at the time.

By this point I knew I had no memories. I couldn't quite remember the names for objects or sensations. Their words sounded really strange to me. As they spoke I listened, trying to understand them.

I understood the concept of amnesia, though I can't quite remember the word I thought it was, and I immediately figured there must have been an accident. I was in hospital after all. Again, I knew the concept, the word was a different matter.

Uncle Ricky figured that my language problems had something to do with loss of memory, before the doctors told him their diagnosis, it was their only real explanation considering I understood nothing of other languages presented to me, yet I seemed to have an affiliation with English.

Weeks passed, and I think uncle Ricky grew a soft spot for me. So did Joanna, Chrissi did too, to a certain extent, it's always taken him longer to warm up to people. Uncle Ricky happily paid the bills, putting me on his insurance, and helped me regain the language I had lost.

Joanna and I got closer and closer, she helped me learn to read again. Chrissi was shyer, but he too would hold conversations with me to help.

Those weeks were terrifying for me. I felt like I was in a new world, I didn't recognise anything and I had no recollection of what I did have experience of. At the same time, I had the people who would soon become my family around me, looking after me.

They tried to find people that I belonged to, a family, a community… hell even a gang! Nothing. There was no one who knew me, or perhaps no one wanted to know me. I was beginning to get worried for when the hospital said to would be safe for me to go home. But go home where? I had no ID, no memory, nothing!

On my last day there, uncle Ricky presented me with loose jeans, a shirt and underwear. He told me to change into them, that I wad going home. I had thought that he had found my family. Instead he pulled up to his own mansion, and told me to call him uncle, that his children and nieces and nephews were my cousins, and as far as any local authorities were concerned, I was one of them. Using the only name I could remember for myself and his own imagination for a surname, he had managed to get me a social security number, a green card, license- everything I needed to function as an adult in American society.

I couldn't believe it, and because my language skills were still in progress I had no idea how to express my gratitude. It seemed my instincts took over and I flung my arms round him and kissed his cheek several times before I collected myself.

It was over the next year that I started making new memories. I found myself reading more and more, I consumed literature as much as I could. As I spoke to elders in the family I found I was political, opinionated and, not to sound immodest, very intelligent.

As a result, two years after I had woken up and become apart of my family, I joined the police force. NYPD. Good metal and physical capacity, I was immediately seen as an asset.

Fitting into the law enforcement was fairly difficult without a past, and with the only present I had being my family… I knew I was strange. Hell I looked strange. No one could place where I was from exactly, my features, my hair, even my accent was incongruous.

Still… five years on from that, here I am. Living in my own flat, making my own money and moving up in the ranks of the police force as fast as I could. Personally I wanted to be a detective, combination of mental stimulation and physical prowess, but I was patient. I could wait. I didn't want to have to rely on my uncle to get everywhere.

As things turned out… No- wait, can't give that away. Not just yet. Everything really started the night uncle Ricky was throwing a party. For the bosses. There were a few politicians, high up coppers and business CEOs, but it was predominantly the bosses involved. So I had to dress… nice.

*

Joanna had come over to my flat. I don't really know why. I think she just wanted to make sure I would dress nice. I have been known to get lazy when going to a party and simply where patterned jeans and a clean top. Uncle Ricky never gets mad with me about it, but he'd always be very disappointed. I think Joanna wanted to make sure that wouldn't happen.

She sat on my bed in my tiny bedroom, her cell in her hands as she texted people rapidly. As I sat before the mirror, I watched her in the reflection. She was a stunning woman, about a year younger than my own estimated age. She was tall, reaching about five foot eight or nine, with a willowy build, faint but clear curves at her waist, and a generous bust. She had a fair olivey complexion, with clear skin, though in some colours it did make her skin look a little yellow. Her rich chocolate brown hair fell in waves about her cheeks and hung till almost her small waist. Her wide eyes were hazel, sometimes more green than brown. Her mouth that was painted a light red were small and pouted.

She was a stunning woman, and she knew it. But at least she was generous, friendly and loving on top of the beauty. Otherwise even in my confused memory-less state I doubt I would have taken to her.

"What are you going to do with your hair?"

I froze. I had put on the dress, pulled on six inch spiked stilettos, found a matching bag and now I was sitting here painting my face. I had to do something with this lot of dead cells around my face as well? I groaned and let my head hit the table.

"Do I have to?" my voice came out muffled.

Joanna laughed at me. "Finish your make up, Zizi," she grinned at me, I could hear it in her voice, "I'll deal with your hair if you can't be bothered."

"Jojiiii," I whined.

"No! Uncle Ricky wants us looking nice tonight. You're not going to embarrass him like you did last time."

"I looked nice! I was wearing heels wasn't I?"

"Only because I made you."

"That's besides that point! Dresses not my thing!"

"You look good in them."

I turned round and looked at her. She was in a midnight blue tight fitted cocktail dress and heels that were half the size of mine but made her long legs look even longer. I raised an eyebrow.

"Next to you, I look like the hunch back of Notre Dame."

"The what of where now?"

Joanna was a lovely girl, she was stunning and she was the closest thing I had to a sister. But she wasn't the most intelligent of girls. The most reading she tended to do was reading fairy stories to younger cousins, siblings, nieces or nephews, or simple glossy magazines.

I sighed and shook my head. "It doesn't matter. I just meant that I looked ugly when I'm anywhere near you."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Enough self-esteem issues! Just finish! We gotta go soon."

I growled and looked back at the mirror. Then stood, and walked the few steps over to my wardrobe, to take a look in the full length mirror. I studied myself.

I was only about five foot two, maybe five foot three, gentle hour glass shape, flat stomach due to all my training, but with enough chest for there to be cleavage to be seen in the strapless. The dress itself was a deep royal purple and nearly floor length with a long slit up to mid-thigh, showing shapely legs appearing significantly longer due to six inch black heels on my feet. I studied my face. It was heart shaped, with slanted luminously bright green eyes, yellowish in some lights, the colour was highlighted by the black eyeliner and the dark purplish smokey eye shadow and the black thick lashes that framed them. My mouth was wider and fuller than Joanna's, with both lips as full as each other, thus no illusion of a pout, and now painted with a pinkish nude colour. My high cheekbones were highlighted by a light brown blusher, it made me look almost gaunt depending on how the light fell, especially with my pointed nose and chin.

I turned my attention to my hair. It was predominantly dark chestnut brown, tawny in colour in some places. That day it seemed to have been unable to make up its mind and had dried into a strange middle ground between wavy and straight.

"Done!" I announced, walking over to the bed to pick up my little diamonté encrusted purple clutch bag.

"Good!" she looked up at me, "uh uh, no way." She stood up and walked over to my wardrobe to rummage about at the bottom of it. "We've made all this effort with the rest of how you look, for God's sake don't mess it up with doing nothing to your hair." She pulled out my pair of hair straighteners. They were fairly good, I've just never been all that bothered about my appearance.

"You can't make me," I said pointedly, sitting on my bed obstinately.

She pouted at me, her large hazel eyes widened at me, her entire face softened at me as she walked towards me her arms out stretched to envelope me in a hug in her slim arms.

"Please please please!" she begged.

I hated it when she did that. She could make me do nigh anything when she did that. And I have a bad feeling she was well aware of it.

"Fine!" I grumbled, "but you do it for me. I honestly can't be bothered."

"Sounds good to me! We don't need you burning your hair… again…"

I rolled my eyes as she let go of me to check on the straighteners and to search for my hair spray. I flopped backwards onto my unmade bed staring up at the ceiling, trying to make out patterns in the stains in the paint.

That was when I first heard it. This strange sort of… wheezing sound, that was nothing human, and too loud to be real wheezing. It slowly got louder and louder. I frowned and crawled onto my bed properly to look out the window. I caught a glimpse of this strange blue light.

I pressed my face to the glass, aware of the make up I was wearing, but still trying to get a better look outside. The sound had died down… and now the blue light was fading.

I didn't live in all that good of an area, but it suited me fine, cheap rent, and I was independent. Still… it did mean I was more cautious about being my natural curious self.

Just as I thought I had caught a glimpse of something, light spilling out of somewhere where a door should not have been, I heard Joanna call my name. I looked back at her, hitting the back of my head on the glass.

"What?" I asked.

"What are you doing?"

"Just… checking something…" I looked back out the window, trying to get a better look. There was nothing there any more. I assumed I had been imagining things. Or else it was a new game the local kids had come up with. You never know around here.

"Stop checking," she snapped at me, "c'mon! We gotta go!"

"Then don't bother-"

"You're not getting out of it that easily. Sit sit sit!"

I obeyed, sitting back by the dressing table, letting her do her thing with the straighteners (which where being used as curlers), brushes and hair spray. As she worked she filled me in on the latest gossip in our large family, to make sure I didn't make any silly blunders. Reminded me of the major guests that would be there so I didn't say anything to upset politicians or people of importance.

I listened intently, agreed with her and gasped at all the right points. Strangely enough, I'm not the sort of person who can deal with gossip or an over loading of so much information, I ended up phasing out for most of what she said, but managed to take in the main points.

Just as I had began to feel nauseous from the amount of hair spray that Joanna was using on the hair she stopped announcing, "Tadaaa!"

I looked at what she had done. Curled all my hair by for my fringe. I had to admit that even with my strange patchwork of chestnut brown and tawny hair, it looked good.

Result really. Uncle Ricky would be happy with me. He was the only person I really worried about pleasing. He saved life after all…

*

The main reason I wasn't sure why Joanna turned up at my place was the fact that we both drove in separate cars. We never liked relying on the other to be able to get back home. Although according to tradition I wouldn't be going home that evening. I'd head back to the main house where Uncle Ricky and his brothers lived, most of their children had left by now, but we'd all come back after one of these parties.

We'd have a few drinks, catch up, and I'd make an ass of myself. I could never take my drink the way the others could. Much to their entertainment. The photographic evidence never gets old.

We arrived at the hotel, and I pulled up beside the valet in my little red Prius. I caught the valet giving my car a strange look as I climbed out of the driver's seat.

"I like the environment," I snarled at him as I snatched the number he was holding and pushed my keys into his chest.

"Y-yes ma'am," he stammered, and quickly clambered into the car.

I smirked as I paused at the front to slip the number into my little clutch bag. I didn't have to tip, my car was not only a Prius, thus not worth all that much, but also second hand. There was little point in getting revenge against me using my car. Normally I would, but I hated it when they'd judge my little car, I liked her.

Moments later I caught sight of Joanna climbing out of her car, accepting the hand the valet gave to her. She smiled brightly at him, tipped him generously and took the number that he handed her. She drove a silver Merc, there was no way she'd get away with not tipping. Though I never understood how she could be so nice all of the time, even to people she clearly couldn't stand.

"You know," said a deep voice from behind me making me jump, and almost fall unless he hand automatically reached out to grab me, "you should take a leaf out of her book."

I looked up at uncle Ricky's son and heir, Christoforo. He was a handsome man, a little older than myself. Tall reaching over six foot three, almost black curly hair, getting a little long and falling into his dark brown mysterious eyes. He was darkly tanned, and solidly built with wide shoulders. His face had a fairly square jaw line, but it suited him. He was the classic tall, dark and handsome Italian man. At least on the onset… I knew that he was immature, childish and loved a prank. Of coarse he knew how to act in the right situation, he knew how to attract women, and he was one of uncle Ricky's most intimidating henchmen. Still, it was nice to know he had a soft side to him.

I clung to his arm and glared. "Thanks, try and make me break my neck. You know damn well I can barely walk in these."

He grinned at me and laughed as he bent to pick up my bag for me. He handed it over, and kissed both my cheeks. "It's good to see you Zizi, it's been a long time."

"It's been three days," I grumbled, "I thought you were better at covering your tracks!"

"Hey, we smoothed it all out," he shrugged, "we make a good little team with that."

"Thanks… you'll get me fired or worse one of these days."

He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and offered me his arm. I growled, but accepted it. I couldn't stay mad him. Him and Joanna were the only two in the entire family who could get away with anything with me.

Joanna joined us, having finally gotten off her phone. "Sorry sorry sorry!" she announced, "Carlos got lost."

"Again? How many times has he been here?" grumbled Chrissi.

"Too many…" I replied, "come on, we should go in."

Chrissi offered Joanna his other arm, and together the three of us entered the hotel. The hall was a few seconds walk into the hotel. And the moment we walked into the room, heads turned.

Joanna was immediately snatched up by multiple admires, sons of politicians or other bosses. The same when for Chrissi. Both were incredibly good looking people, and powerful in their own right.

Chrissi was the heir to a great fortune and an immense influence of most powers in the city. I was surprised that his head had not been intoxicated with the power he had. It made him attractive to not only women, but men who needed to stay on his good side.

Joanna was stunning, but approachable. I hate to say it, but I get the feeling it's due to the… lack of intelligence. It made her reachable. At least that meant she did not have a misplaced sense of arrogance.

Still the same thing happened again and again, I was left to my own devices. Which I didn't mind, I knew Chrissi and Joji made it a point on nights like this not to leave with an acquaintance so they could spend time with family on a more social level. I'd have their, and my other cousins' undivided attention for the rest of the night.

I sauntered over to the bar and promptly confused to the bar tender by demanding orange juice. He looked as though he was about to tell me to order something for real until he seemed to recognise me. I was known for being uncle Ricky's adopted niece, and there were very few people who would cross me for fear inciting his wrath. I was surprised the NYPD hadn't picked up on it yet… then again, it was likely they were using it to their own advantage.

I sipped at the drink, sitting down, looking over the party, studying the different people there. You could tell who was who by the attitude to the position they were in.

Rival gangs were looking fairly nervous, as were a couple of those in our own circles. Most of the business men were looking fairly comfortable, though the coppers didn't seem to be able to make up their minds. They were jumpy when first greeted but relaxed after the initial greeting.

I kept an eye out for uncle Ricky, to find an opening to come and greet him myself. I didn't want to interrupt him if he were making an important business deal.

"Not joining in the festivities?" asked an accented, unfamiliar male voice.

I looked over to find a man standing a couple of feet away from me, a beer in one hand, the other stuffed into his pants pockets. He was of about medium height, fair skin, light brown hair sticking up at odd angles, friendly brown eyes and a fairly large aquiline nose. He wore a brown suit, plain shirt, plain tie, there were white converses on his feet, and a long tan over coat over all of it.

It was his accent that got to me. Despite the fact I had to relearn all my words from Italian Americans, somehow most of my words, the majority of my words, sounded British. And this man had a British, more accurately an English accent. Like my own.

"I will," I replied, trying a smile, "I just like starting slow."

I wish I could say that I sensed something at this point. You know, a sense of fate, a foreshadowing of what is to come. I'll be perfectly honest, I was utterly oblivious. I thought he was a friend of one of my cousins, and an associate, or even just a foreign business man. Unusually friendly, but hey you get some like that at these things.

At the same time, I did not like the way he was looking at me. Studying me, closely. Like he knew something. Considering I still felt like I knew nothing about my past, I felt wronged in some way. Even though I knew it was impossible. No… even though I thought it was impossible.

"Don't like alcohol much?"

I laughed. "I can't take it to be frank. I'm a lightweight. Everyone finds it very amusing."

"Humm… let me see… a nicotine fiend?"

I shrugged. "Only occasionally," I admitted, "though don't tell her," I jabbed my thumb over at Joanna, "she'll shoot me on the spot. She thinks I've given up."

He glanced over at her, but his attention was back on me in moments. That had never happened before. Most of the time their attention would linger on her while they talked to me, or they would immediately excuse themselves to go and speak to her. Very rarely would someone have their attention on me entirely with Joji in the room.

"Your sister?"

I simply looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"That would be a no?"

"A firm no. I don't think I'd live as her sister- too many beauty and the beast jokes." He made an attempt at a confused expression. I ignored it I couldn't be bothered with such sympathies just then. "She's my cousin, we're just really close."

"I can see the resemblance."

Two eyebrows raised. "I'm adopted."

"I know," he shrugged, "I can still see a resemblance."

I was beginning to like this stranger less and less. He was cocky, smiley and he knew things, I could tell he knew things. I didn't like being left in the dark, and I very rarely was. Considering most people knew what I was capable of doing.

"Look here, I know most of uncle Ricky's friends. I do not know who you are." He just carried on smiling at me… smirking at me. I didn't like that. "Well?!"

"Well what?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"A friend," he replied, sipping his drink.

"A-"

"Zizi? Zizi! There you are!" It was Tony, one of uncle Ricky's lackeys. A good naturted guy to those he liked, a violent bastard to those he didn't. "Ricky wants to see you-" he hesitated as I stood up, then he grinned, "you scrub up nice."

"Ah you only ever see me in uniform," I replied, "it's just a shock."

"Stop putting yourself down," Tony offered me his arm, "c'mon."

I accepted it but stopped my steps and looked over at the lanky man. "It was nice to meet you," I said.

"I'll be seein' ya, Zarmina."

I frowned, but turned and followed Tony's steps. Not many people knew me as Zarmina. Even in the office, everyone knew me by my surname, Marinetti, a name Ricky came up with.

As Tony lead me over to uncle Ricky, I asked him to keep an eye on that man, that I didn't trust him. He promised that he would, though deep in my heart I knew if I didn't trust him, there would be a good reason for it, Tony would not be able to keep track of him. That stranger would loose him faster than I told him to keep an eye on him.

We reached uncle Ricky, he was surrounded by other bosses and three of his brothers. He broke off the conversation as he caught sight of me, and he opened his arms wide beaming at me.

"Bambini!" he announced, "ah bella, you look beautiful. You kept your promise to your old uncle!"

"Of coarse uncle Ricky," I smiled, "I make a promise I keep it." I flushed red, "besides, what I usually wear is hardly very flattering."

I was quickly snapped up by my other uncles, who greeted me just as warmly as uncle Ricky had. I might have been adopted into the family, but it took only a year, maybe eighteen months after my adoption that the entire family didn't question my loyalty and took to me as one of their own.

Soon after they were all introducing me to friends and associates. I played nice, plastered a smile on my face, offered opinions and thoughts where I felt I should, and kept quiet when I knew to. I had learned how to play nice for these people, and while under normal circumstances I didn't have to play so nice, and many of these people knew it, in this environment it was full expected of me, as a result, I played by the rules. We all had to. It was the way our society functioned.

I finally managed to escape into the garden. I knew smoking inside the hall was allowed, simply because uncle Ricky had paid off the staff to allow it. But no one had started yet and I didn't want to be the one to turn that room into a smokey hell hole. I like my cigarettes, the occasional one, but not when it turns the place into a den.

I lit up a thin little Vogue, usually described as lady cigarettes due to their thin size and long length. It was the lightest one I could smoke without feeling that it was pointless, and meant to I was sort of keeping my promise to Joji.

I sat down on a bench on the grounds and looked up. We were too deep in the city to be able to see the stars properly, but I could vaguely make out the faint white dots against the dark black mass, and the moon shone brightly towards the right of my vision.

I suddenly missed Italy. We had been only months before, and we were staying on the outskirts of Rome. The sky was so bright with stars I would stay outside for hours after people thought I had fallen asleep. I'd loose myself in my thoughts, and the wondrous beauty of the stars and planets. I always was a dreamer.

Even then, sitting in the middle of the city, with the sound of talk, movement, people, traffic… of the city in my ears, I still found myself loosing myself in the cosmos above me. I could not help myself.

I smiled gently and took a drag from my cigarette.

I think it was that action that made the difference. I habitually look down when I take a puff, so I know I won't burn myself, it's a habit from after having drunk too much I'd smoke the wrong end. That was when I caught sight of something that… well… that shouldn't have been. It was only minor really.

The light was on in the basement.

I frowned. That was wrong. The kitchens were on the ground floor. And the basement was purely used for storage. I'd had to raid this hotel enough times with the squad to know that, and come here as a guest enough times to confirm it. The lights were never left on longer than five minutes. Even then that was unusual.

I frowned at it, as I finished my cigarette off, as slowly as possible. Just to make sure I wasn't jumping to conclusions. The lights never went out. And what was more, was there were large shadows bouncing off the walls.

That was it. My curiosity was lit and there was nothing else for it. I had to see what was down there no matter what.


	2. Trying To Move Swiftly On

A/N: Thank you to my only reviewer Lady Joanna of Catania (Love the name, I have to ask- what inspired it?). This second chapter is for you!

Chapter 2

Trying To Move Swiftly On

To be perfectly honest, I have absolutely no idea how I managed to slip through the crowd mostly unnoticed. Some people stopped me to say hello, the pleasantries only lasted moments, and then I could move on again. My family didn't spot me, which saved a lot of time, and good friends were too distracted by family to be able to pay much attention to me as I slipped out of the room as fast as I could.

The lobby too was predominantly empty. I strode across the marble floor, as though I knew what I was doing and where I was going. As far as most places are concerned, if you act confident, you can go absolutely anywhere in the building. So no one even looked at me as I stepped into the employers lift, in all my finery, pressed the button for the basement and suppressed the that nasty swooping sensation deep in my belly as the great metal box moved downwards.

As the lift jarred to a stop, much less smoothly than the customer lift, I got out as soon as I could and looked around. I was under the hotel. And I knew that was a labyrinth as it was.

I glanced off to my right, I could smell that stale smell of smoke after people had been smoking in the same people for years. The employee's unofficial smoking area. Not that I blamed them, it got damn cold outside on most nights.

That gave me a land mark. Listen out for the people talking, the brighter lights and that horrible stale smell.

First job done.

Second meant I had to get my lipstick out. If I worked it right I wouldn't have to use up too much of that pretty colour and it wouldn't be all that noticeable. I didn't need the trouble of involving my uncle in anything I felt like doing because I was acting like a kitten. That's how Carlos tended to describe my outbursts of spontaneous, unprecedented and random phases of curiosity.

I managed to fish it out of my clutch bag, which I was starting to resent, it was so pointless, and closed my eyes. I pictured the grounds where I sat, facing the hotel, mapped out how I walked back into the building across the lobby, down the elevator and so forth to work out where exactly the light was coming from. It wasn't just the people smoking, this was different. It was in fact in the opposite direction to where the people were socialising.

I glanced down at my feet, and made a face. Safer to leave these on for the time being… I didn't feel like getting another tetanus shot if I stepped on a rusted nail. So I kept on my ridiculously high shoes. Which I would later come to regret. And turned and walked away from the light, into the dank darkness of the tunnel that lay before me.

I'm not sure how far I walked, I kept pausing to make little crosses on the walls, big enough to see, small enough not to waste the colour, and I was suddenly glad that it was shiny so that even in the small amount of light I had I was still able to make them out.

I found myself having to go down side routes about the place, even though I knew the light had been coming from the side of the building, near the grounds, so I made sure I kept turning to my left, still making little crosses as I went.

As I walked, I found myself wandering why these tunnels were down here. I knew the hotel was old, built up around an even older hotel. I came to the conclusion they were built by a panicky hotel owner thinking that the Germans or the Communists were going to take over the county and wanted a bunker to hide in… then changed my mind and went with the little less far-fetched idea that went along the lines of an escape tunnel… for people of questionable backgrounds, like my uncle. That seemed more likely. Probably still in use today… as storage… or an exit for celebrities. Wouldn't have surprised me in the slightest.

Soon I became more aware of my surroundings. I was back to walking closer to the grounds, and I had been walking for at least ten minutes. My dress was pulled up and my shoes were getting painful, they were designed to look pretty, not to be walked in. And that was when I heard the voices.

At first I thought it was my imagination trying to make sense of the dripping pipes in the walls and over head. As I got closer, and it was more obvious that the light spilling into the hall was artificial light not from the moon, I became more and more suspect.

My footsteps slowed right down, the shoes made no sound on the bare concrete, my breathing became slow, deep, soundless. My movements were fast, efficient, and the quietest I could make them. There was no way I'd b heard by human ears.

I was right up near the door, next to the hinges, back pressed against the uneven surface, listening hard. The voices… were strange. Sexless… rasping… barely understandable… as though their throats had not been hydrated for days. Forced myself to stay quiet, listen in and not move. Sudden movements would get me killed. I didn't have to know what was inside that room to know that.

"He is here," the first voice rasped. It was high in pitch, higher than the second to come. And the first moment I heard it clearly, and actually made out words from the mess of sounds it was making, I almost jumped.

I desperately wanted my gun all of a sudden. I'm fast, I'm agile, I'm accurate, and I am a fast learner- I'm crap at hand-to-hand combat. Without my gun, I felt naked and vulnerable. At this point I had to hope to what ever deity floated above us that whoever- whatever was inside that room didn't notice me… or else I could just dodge out of their way.

"Who is?" came the reply, this voice was lower in pitch, but just as rasping, just as dehydrated. I didn't jump this time, just shivered, as though insects were crawling all over my skin. At least that's what it felt like.

"That… male… creature… Time Lord," the last two words were spat out, like a nasty taste or an unpleasant, rude word. As though the person could not even bare to have such a notion in her mind.

"He cannot find us, we are too well hidden," replied the second voice.

"But he knows we are here. He had deactivated our disguises."

This was when things started to take a surreal turn for me. Deactivating disguises… my simple mind tried to piece together. All I could think of was spies with voices that had been manipulated to be unrecognisable.

"Perhaps…" the second voice appeared to be more rational, if a little optimistic, "we are protected, Lillah," I assumed that was a code name, like Time Lord, "and he will simply become distracted by the foundling."

The first voice seemed to hiss, or laugh… it was hard to tell which. "Yes… strange creature… interesting, but strange. I'm surprised that-" The voice cut off. I suddenly became aware that I stopped breathing. I didn't dare start again. "Someone is listening," the voice was nigh on inaudible, I still have no idea how I made it out.

I tried to move away from the door, back down the way I came. Quietly as I possibly could. I was beginning to wish I had abandoned my foot wear. But the door swung open, outwards, smashing into my back which sent my flying onto my stomach. I spun round, and looked upwards.

And further upwards.

And further still.

I stopped, I rubbed my eyes. I looked again. Closed them. Blinked a few times and looked again. It was still the same thing.

A strange hybrid between beetle, and man.

The lower extremities of this creature was like that of the main body of a beetle, with all six legs, iridescent exoskeleton, shimmering even in the artificial half light of the hall a sort of combination of blue, green and black. The legs were long, thick towards the body, and thinner towards the feet. I suspected under the exoskeleton at the back were wings, not that they would be of any use down here. The upper body was humanoid, hardly human. The skin was softer, closer time a humans, but the same colour as the lower body. It had four arms, one set extended from the shoulders (the same as what we have) and other a few inches below (different to what we have). The skull of this creature seemed conical shaped. Utterly bald too, with wide staring empty black eyes, no pupils that I could make out. The nose was almost entirely flat to the face, similar to that of a snake, but the nostrils were wider. The mouth, while looked fairly human, pairs with the elongated cheeks, I sincerely doubted only a single set of teeth were hidden within.

As I took this in, looking back, blinking and trying to rectify what I was looking at the creature seemed to be trying to do the same to me, but not in such an obvious fashion.

I think I recovered first. I was the first to speak. Of coarse in a state of shock I spoke only the first words that came to mind: "Fuck me… you're ugly as hell!"

My words seem to snap it back to attention. In that horrible rasping voice, which I recognised to be the second one, it snarled, "you?"

The my initial thoughts on the mouth were right… as it snarled, pinchers unfurled from it's blackened jaws, and its white teeth seemed to have been filed to a point. The saliva, at least that's all I can call it, I suspected to be deadly. It glistened on the pinchers and teeth, a sort of sickly green colour. Poison it looked most like.

I took in the threatening picture. And allowed instinct to take over. I moved. I ran. I stumbled to my feet and took off as fast as I could into the winding labyrinth, not quite paying attention to where I was going. Not paying any attention what so ever. Just then, that wasn't my first priority, my first priority was to get as far away from that… that… that bugallow as I possibly could.

As I sped up, I could in those blasted shoes. They were strapped to my feet, I didn't dare take the time to even try and kick them off. I lost my bag. I kept tripping and falling. My beautiful silk dress was in tatters by the time I rounded the fourth corner.

I don't know how long I ran. Could have been moments, could have been hours. I lost track of where I was. All I knew was I could feel the hate and the destruction radiating from that form, the blood pounding in my ears and the feel of the air rushing passed my cheeks as I ran.

I was on the verge of passing out, it was too much for my lungs to take after a time. I could hear the scratching and scrabbling as that thing followed me, and fear kept me going, but my body had its limits.

It was then as I had slowed to a jog passed a door, I caught sight of it opening, but all I felt was something clasp round my wrist, jerking me backwards, I felt as though my shoulder would dislocate. I suppose I squeaked as I was pulled into the room, and a hand fastened itself over my mouth and an arm around my waist pinning my arms to my sides.

My immediate reaction was to try and fight this thing off. But with my worn out body I had enough time to notice that the hand was soft, supple, warm, if a little worn and calloused with life, and in the little light there was in the room, pink. It was a human hand.

So as the voice whispered, "Don't scream," I had already relaxed and allowed my breathing to come in large gulps, to get back the oxygen into my system.

The man, for it was the man I had seen first in the bar upstairs, I would have recognised that English accent anywhere, let me go and I promptly collapsed to the floor, breathing in deeply. He might have warned me not to make a lot of noise, but just then breathing was about all I could manage.

He looked down at me frowning for a moment, then turned his back to me and seemed to be trying to flash a blue light onto the vent. At least I think it was the vent. The light was very scarce. What light there was came from the spaces around the door, which didn't help all that much. But at least I could make out his lanky form, confirming it was who I thought it was.

"While we have time," I murmured, hand on my throat, still trying to repay my oxygen debt, "who the hell are you?"

"I'm the doctor," he replied coolly, all his focus seemed to be on the job in hand. Almost ignoring me.

I felt my own eyes narrow at him. "Doctor?" I snapped, finally with enough energy to try and pull off my death shoes, I pulled at the straps as I spoke, "of what? Medicine? Philosophy? Chemistry? History?!" He wasn't answering me, most people would have interrupted me by this point. "Of the mysteriously annoying?" I grumbled, almost under my breath. One shoe was off. I touched my heel, and the front. My fingers came away sticky. I grumbled. My feet were covered in blood. I didn't need to check my other foot to know that.

"A bit of everything," he replied, "especially the last one." He looked back at me, well my vague direction, "I like that one best." He was grinning cheekily, like a child that knew something the adult didn't and was enjoying it thoroughly.

"All right fine, don't tell me. Doctor what?"

"What?"

"Doctor…" I trailed off, trying to let him tell me his name himself.

"Just the Doctor," he replied vaguely.

I got frustrated, annoyed. I wrenched the second shoe off put it aside and glared up at him. "Doctor who?!"

"If you like."

"What? Oh Jesus fucking Christ!" I blasphemed irritably, "all right, fine, doccy it is. Whatever." I looked down at my dress. It was in tatters, but with that amount of material it would be nigh on impossible to move in, I had fallen over so many times because it. I didn't dare examine my knees just then. I looked back at him. "Got anything sharp."

"Huh?"

"Sharp, like a knife or something. Even a nail!"

"Nope."

"Fine… do it the old fashioned way." I could have sworn I heard the creature go running passed the door a while ago. I gripped the dress at the slit, found a little rip at about my mid thigh, and ripped. The sound echoed around the room, making the man jump.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, "We're trying not to get caught here."

"I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen," I retorted, "long materiel never really helps."

He frowned as I continued to rip the rest of it off and dropped it. "You're not going to ask what's going on?"

"Not yet. My brain's still processing what I know first." I struggled to my feet. He made no move to help me, he was too busy still trying flash the vent with blue lights.

"That's… rational," he looked momentarily confused, then something seemed to click with him. "you done processing?"

"Yeah more or less."

"Good, then come and help me with this."

I walked over to him gingerly, my feet were beginning to sting.

"I've nearly got this, now can you see the bottom of the vent?"

"Yeah."

"What?"

"I can see it."

"But it's…" he trailed off, I could see him frowning, considering, but that stopped moments later. "OK grab the bottom, and hold it. We don't need the Thentas to hear us."

"They ran passed us."

"So we hope."

"I heard them."

"How long is it before they realise you escaped down one of the doors? Besides, with your feet bleeding, they'd smell your blood."

"How…" I stopped myself, "ok."

"No questions?"

"Not yet."

"Weird."

"Believe me I am full of fuckin' questions, but as of right now, I am also full of the wish to get the hell out of here to be able to ask such questions in what is likely to be a safer environment than being holed up in some tiny room with a nut case who seems to know everything and these weird bugglows chasing me!"

"Buggalows?"

"Later!"

"Yes ma'am," he rolled his eyes, and turned to keep flashing that strange blue light on the screws. Moments later, I had to brace myself against the weight of the metal grill that fell into my hands. I struggled to keep it steady as we both lowered it to the floor- which was hard enough considering how far bellow the damn thing I was compared to him.

"There we-"

There was that strange screaming hissing sound that had followed me all the way to this spot.

"It's time to go I believe," he announced, climbing into the vent, and promptly turned round and leaned out to take my hands. I hesitated. "Come on, Zizi!"

"But-"

"Questions later remember! Your words not mine."

He was right, I reached out and took his hands and he made to pull me up as the door was wrenched open, pulling it away from the frame, ripping it from the hinges. Standing in the door way was that buggalow creature, the black eyes, iridescent skin and conical skull. We all froze.

"You… Doctor," snarled the buggalow, the one that had chased after me originally as far as I could tell. It growled.

"Time to go!" the doctor wrenched me into the vent, almost popping my shoulder's out of their sockets, but I was in.

He took off and I tried to follow. I felt cool, scaly fingers wrap around my ankle. I didn't need to look back to know what had grasped hold of me. I screamed, the sound echoed around the small enclosed space. I could see the doctor stopping suddenly, and look over at me. It had the same painful effect on the creature, momentarily arresting it, enough for me to kick downwards with my bloody heel, I felt it crunching against the forehead between the eyes. The hand let go and I was off as fast as I could. In that body, there was no way it could follow into the ventilation systems.

We scuttled into the system until we reached a cross roads; either up, left or right. The Doctor ahead of me stood and held a hand out to help me to my feet. I suddenly felt very squashed considering the small space were in.

"Stay here," he told me.

"Got no where else to go," I pointed out irritably, "OH!" I squeaked as he dropped to his knees quite suddenly. "What the fuck?!"

"You do have a dirty mouth," he chuckled, he seemed to be blinking that blue light down the tunnel we had just come through. Moments later there came a distant crash.

Curiosity got the better of me yet again, so I dropped to my knees and peered down the tunnel. I couldn't see anything. That's when it struck me, I couldn't see anything because there wasn't anything to see- he'd collapsed the tunnel somehow. How?! Curiosity… it was going haywire!

I looked at him. "Where are we going?"

"Away from here."

"No shit! We have to get everyone out! Those things-"

"No- they'll be fine. As long as no one wonders down here. And no one will- you're the only one who'd bother."

"But Joanna! She'll be looking for me! She might-"

"Your uncle won't let her."

"Uncle Ricky? Why wouldn't he? He has no idea… about…" I found myself trailing off. Why was I even questioning uncle Ricky's innocence?! And still… there was something in this stranger's face when I mentioned uncle Ricky. Like… he couldn't meet my eyes. As though he couldn't tell me something awful. "He's… no… You're wrong Doctor! Of coarse… tell me I'm wrong!"

"It's just a hunch," he dismissed casually, his cheeky smile was back, but this time it was faked. That much I could tell. "C'mon- we need to get out of here." He had taken hold of my hand, but I pulled back.

"Those things are blood thirsty… they're after my blood, I can feel it. How do I know you're not going to lead me straight to them?"

He shrugged. "You don't." I frowned at him, stunned. Not the reply I was expecting. "You trusted Ricardo when you met him, and you had no memories." My eyes flashed at him, narrowing. "Besides, I'm a doctor aren't I? I gotta take the Hippocratic Oath don't I? To preserve life? Why would I give up life of any kind."

The man spoke in riddles. I didn't like it. At all. I liked people being up front and honest. But I still followed him. And I don't know why.

He indicated upwards, and immediately hoisted me onto his shoulders to I could climb in more easily, and promptly followed me, with only a little assistance from me. He had to push passed me, and I followed him through the vents on my arms and knees.

I could feel my feet still bleeding, and bruises developing on my knees, arms and wrists. Clearly adrenaline was encouraging me, I kept moving, I could barely feel any pain.

Finally he stopped, and signalled for me to back up a little. I obeyed, he kicked outwards, and he slide out into the cool air that I could feel blasting from outside. I crawled out and found myself on the side of the building, towards the car park. I looked around and found his hand at the same level as my hand. I made a face but accepted his help to my feet.

I winced as my bare feet touched the ground, and wrapped my arms around my upper body. I was freezing all of a sudden. My curly hair picked up in the breeze that was beginning to pick up. I didn't like the cold. Nor did I like the smell coming off the bins beside us.

I must have looked a sight. Covered in cuts and bruises, blood running down my legs, elbows and all over my feet. Dress torn to utter shreds, shivering, hair a mess, make up streaked down my face. Completely different how I had when I had first arrived at the hotel.

"Can I ask questions now?" I asked, miserably.

"Not quite yet. You're not safe yet… we'd better get away from here. Thentas are murderous, and they would have killed you on sight. What worries me is the fact that they didn't even try."

"Thanks."

"What?"

"The fact I'm not dead worries you. I appreciate it."

He grinned at me. "Time to go?" he held his hand out.

I didn't think, I just did. My curiosity had well as truly taken over. I didn't know where we were going to go, I just want to know where it was. I took his hand, and we were off, running away from the hotel. Fast. The moment we had gotten away from the main street, we were slipping down side allies, side stepping tramps, dodging foxes, dogs, cats, ignoring the cat calls of passer-by's.

I must have been hysterical; I found myself laughing as we ran. I was actually enjoying it! Running in the open air, away from an invisible unknown enemy- it awoke something inside. The adrenaline in my body made me feel alive like I had never felt before. Enjoying myself? I was almost on ecstasy!

The man, this Doctor, looked back at me, and grinned along with me. Was he enjoying it like I was? That sense of fear? The unknown? Was he that similar to me? I was determined to find out.

When he finally stopped, I was beginning to lag, though my smile was still plastered across my full mouth. Though he stopped so suddenly I smacked into his back almost falling over. The only thing keeping me steady was the fact he still had a hold of my hand. I looked at what he was looking at, with so much pride.

It was an old fashioned english police box. It looked like it had been kidnapped from the pages of time and pushed into the twenty first century. It was just… a large blue box.

"Uh huh…" I was unimpressed.

"Yep," he put his hand out to push against the door to pull me in after him. I stood my ground, refusing to move. "What?"

I was apprehensive and I didn't hide it.

"Oh come on. You're faced creatures from another world, ruined your outfit, crawled through a vent, followed a complete stranger into the night and it's not even eleven pm- how much weirder can your night get?"

I bit my lower lip, and rubbed my nose thoughtfully. "Is it safe?" I said finally.

"Safest place on the planet. Probably the universe for you!"

"Universe? Isn't that…" I cut myself off, and studied him. His expression was open, unguarded. I found… I found myself trusting him. "Why am I going along with this mad man?" I muttered to myself.

Against my better judgement, or so I thought, I followed the Doctor into the blue box. I looked round. Then promptly walked back out again, shutting the door behind me and walked away, then turned again and focused on it.

"You're kidding," I said, as the Doctor stood in the door way, "this is a joke. This has to be a joke. Right?" I ran forewords, peeked in again, on the side he wasn't leaning on, then back away again. "Nuh uh… no way… this… this is… insane, unbelievable and…"

"Incredible? Amazing?" he offered.

"Awesome!"

Weighing up my options, I carefully approached the deceptive blue box. The Doctor stood aside, holding the door for me, grinning all the while. I stepped in, onto the catwalk up to the main part of ship… or the engine… I dunno- what ever it was- it was nuts. The entire interior was nuts. It looked like some sort of other planet! Like I'd stepped into a door way.

Everything was yellow but for the blue pulsing thing in the middle (it was the engine… as I found out later), with little nooks and crannies everywhere. There were definitely floors, though how many I'm still not sure. Even rooms I don't know how big that thing is. The thing was mostly weirded me out were these weird coral like pillars, they looked strangely alive, I didn't go near them.

"You know," I said softly as I pushed myself further into the contraption, "a warning would be nice…"

"Well…" he stretched the word out as be bounded passed me, up to what I later found out to be the control panel, "I like watching the different reactions. The reactions are never the same! But it's the same thought patterns- never expects it to be this big."

I couldn't help myself. It slipped out before I could stop myself, "that's what she said," it was muttered more than anything else, but unmissable.

He laughed. "Let me see," he walked over to me, grinning that irritating cheeky grin, one I'd grow to like better, "childish, immature sense of humour. Capable of great sincerity, maturity and reason. Curious to a fault. Athletic, strong. Better still…" he trailed off, and grabbed my chin, forcing my to loo up at him. I suddenly felt very short. That feeling was swept away very quickly. As I met those brown eyes, surveying my features, hair, shape, I felt almost like I was drowning. Those eyes… sad brown eyes… I felt as though I was looking into time itself. "You have the look, it's unmistakable."

"Look? C'mon dude, I've got things I have to ask you-"

He practically leapt away from me, as though he had been electrocuted. "Now is not the time! Though is certainly the place. Now I have the perfect space to go and talk," he was at the glowing pillar, running around the panel, "for the time being, all is well. Ricardo Marinelli wouldn't have started yet… and," he looked at me, "I doubt he would have noticed your disappearance yet."

I did not like the way he was talking about my uncle. And I didn't like that my gut was beginning to agree with what the man implying. And soon I'd know the truth.

To make matters worse, I had no idea what was going on, and I was ready to ask my questions, I'd come to my own conclusions, but I needed conclusive evidence. For example, this man new things… more than than… this man wasn't a man. He was too knowledgeable, and calm with the knowledge. Either he wasn't human, or some sort of superhuman. Either way, why did I feel so safe with him around? Irritating smile and all.

"Doctor- I need answers-"

"In a moment," he promised.

So I sat on the floor and watching him run- no, dance around the control panel.

"What are you doing?" I was exasperated at this point.

"I am driving."

"Driving what? A box?"

"That's bigger on the inside than on the outside."

"What is this, Hitch Hiker Guide to The Galaxy or something! Is this is a SEP?"

"What?" he looked up.

"Someone else's problem- read!"

"Oh-" he went back to work, "those exist, never had it installed though."

"No- it's in a book."

"Nah, Adam's was from Xybron, not totally dissimilar from Earth. Came here by accident, much like Ford Prefect. Liked it, got himself educated here like a human, and wrote a-"

"I know the rest," I grumbled, "still don't see-"

The box suddenly rocked, and I promptly fell over down the side, landing on my back. The doctor was laughing, so it seemed to be a few moments before he got round to helping me up. I just lay on my back looking at the ceiling.

"Can I ask questions yet?" I asked.

"Will you get up if I say yes?"

"Mmmhmm." I took the hands he offered me, and stood straight, sorting out the rags that were once my dress.

"Though first things first…" he eyed my up and down, "shower, and change."

"What?!"

"And then I take care of your cuts."

"But-"

"And then I will answer everything! I promised."

"Yeah- but- I- what?!"


	3. Stranger Than Fiction

A/N: I'm sorry for the long gaps between updates, but with the dates of exams fast closing in on me, I'm a little strapped for time to write. Please forgive me and please don't give up on me!

Also, sorry Laura, I didn't see your review until I posted Chapter two. Now there's not much that I will give away about my story, but I will say this… Rick is honestly not Micky.

Cariah- I'm glad you enjoyed chapter two so much! I am very sorry for the delay!

Please tell me how this chapter goes! Thank you!

Chapter 3

Stranger Than Fiction

He tried putting me in another dress. Told me we might have to go back to the party. I threatened his anatomy without really thinking and he very swiftly changed his mind. Though not without argument.

"I'm not wearing it."

"Why not? Red is your colour."

"It's got no pockets."

"So? What would your uncle think?"

"Not talking family."

"Come on-"

"Look, you can say good-bye to being a man if you try this."

"How do you know I'm male?"

"Because… you… THAT'S PART OF MY QUESTIONING! I'm not allowed to ask questions yet," I folded my arms angrily. "Seriously… you push this, you can say good by the the area of your body that genders you. Understood."

"Loud and clear!"

Eventually I decided on a fitted pair of female jeans and I stole one of his button up tops. Before I could change, he pulled me to another end of this… place. The bathroom it looked like, fairly normal in my eyes. He washed from blood from my feet despite my insistence that I could do it myself, then told me that I might as well savour the pampering, it was not going to happen again. I growled but stopped complaining. He bandaged my feet, knees, arms, and checked the scratched on my face and down my neck.

"Don't need stitches…" he muttered, "I think we're good! Now- go get changed! I'll find some shoes for you."

"Why can't I?"

"Because you'll get lost. Believe me I do sometimes."

I glanced around outside of the bathroom doors. Then nodded. "See ya in a few years then!"

He just laughed and walked off, shutting the door behind him as he went. I immediately got changed, grateful for something normal to wear. The jeans were tighter than I would have liked (never did understand the skinny jean obsession) but I wasn't about to complain, they fitted all right. The only reason I stole his shirt was that after wearing that dress, I needed something loose. And besides… I had some buggalow butt to kick- can't do that in some tight fitting t-shirt! That's all he seemed to have for women. And a maid's outfit, proper Victorian one… I had mentally made a note to ask about it. I still haven't done it.

I stepped out of the room, walked on my toes. I glanced around, this thing confused me. But I wasn't going to be left behind. I liked to look around. It was interesting especially… in this place. I shook my head. No- not time to start freaking out. I could do that later. Right now I was going to just look… and forget that this whole place was actually inside a tiny blue police box…

Looking left, then right, then left again, I made up my mind and turned right. It sounded like the way he had gone anyway. Whether it was or not, I didn't find out. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I found myself back in what seemed to be the front. There was that long blue thing in the middle of the room and that white wooden door.

I frowned. No fair! I wanted to see more of the ship. I growled to myself, and sat down in the grill beside the panel in the middle, waiting for the doctor.

I wasn't sure what it was, but simply sitting there, next to what I later found out was the engine and control panel, I felt strangely at home. If I didn't know any better I would have said that large blue pillar in the middle glowed a little. As I stared at it I found myself reaching out, but I snatched my hand back as I heard footsteps.

"Here we go!" he announced, squatting before me, handing over a pair of shoes and socks, both were my size. The shoes themselves were small sized converses, in the traditional black and white. Good thing I adored them.

I pulled them on myself, very self consciously as the Doctor had taken up a seat in front of me, studying me. Even though I was clearly taking great pains not to dislodge the bandages at my feet, I kept an eye on the Doctor. I didn't like that analytical look he was giving. Again I felt as though he knew something I didn't, and it was not appreciated.

I did up the laces on them, crossed my legs and looked at him. I think he sensed my eyes on him, as he looked up almost straight away, meeting my strangely luminous green eyes.

"Can I?" was all I said.

"Fire at will!"

"Poor Will- what did-" I cut myself off, "no… not the time." I hit my temple, "focus woman!"

The Doctor seemed to be finding the joke I was about to make hilarious. I got the feeling it was that combined with another factor that was tickling his funny bone.

"Stop laughing!" I complained, arms crossed, practically pouting like a spoiled five year old.

Immediately he became straight faced, but there seemed to still be a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Before anything else… " I sighed, "can you… explain who you are- what you are!"

"Oh that's easy, I'm a Time Lord."

I stared at him. "What?"

"Time Lord."

"I heard you. I don't know what that is."

"Exactly what it says on the tin. I am a Lord of time. "

"Ah ha! That means you are male!"

He grinned. "Assume as you wish, and I thought you were meant to be focusing."

"Sorry… got distracted. Ok… so… you're a Time Lord, what does that mean?"

"It means I travel through time and space, seeing the most amazing things."

"And why were you on Earth?"

"Of all the planets I've been to, Earth is my favourite."

"Why?"

"Because of the humans… interesting species. Throw what you will at them and they come back strong, determined and bloody pissed off that you threw it at them in the first place."

I nodded. I had to agree, seemed to describe the human race perfectly. My mind quickly ran down all the major events in the recent history of the world I could think of. Spot on really.

"Ok… so what's this?"

"A TARDIS."

"Which is?"

"A space ship and a time machine. TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimension In Space."

"Right… ok… let me think this through. So… you're an alien-"

"Only in your eyes, if we were back on Galafrey you'd be the alie-"

"Shut up! Not finished… Christ you talk too much."

"Ah Jesus- yeah he did like to talk."

I just looked at him, he shrugged, and looked away. I continued muttering to myself. "You're an alien, who's race can to manipulate time and space… using this TARDIS." I paused, then nodded. "ok then. Why a blue box."

The Doctor frowned. "Because the cloaking device got stuck and I've become rather attached to it like this- you're taking this very well…"

I grinned at him. "I have been chased by giant half men half beetle creatures, followed a man who won't give me his name into a box that is much bigger inside than it physically should be. I'm just about ready to believe anything right now."

"How do you know it's not all a hallucination."

"Then I'll have a laugh about it after what is clearly going to be a gut wrenching come down. As of right now, considering where I am- I'm going to take you seriously. If this turns out to be a lie, believe me, my cousins don't take kindly to family being humiliated. Now where were we…"

"Why a blue box?"

"Ah yes. Now, to the matter in hand," now I was allowed to freak out. I took a breath and practically shouted, "what the hell were those bugglow things and what the hell were they after me?!"

"The Thentas?"

"Thentas? That's what they're called?"

"Yeah."

"I'll stick to bugglows, I like that name better."

He grinned, "why not."

"What are they where are they from?"

"Aliens to this planet obviously. They're from a few galaxies away, planet called Vinchi."

"Vici?"

"No Vinchi. Like Vici, but with an n."

"Right. Continue."

"I have to be honest with you, I haven't quite figured out what they're doing here. Probably want power or to take over the planet or something. Wouldn't surprise me."

His calm really caught me off guard. Like this was an everyday occurrence! It didn't take me long to work out it probably was to him.

"They started out life as the underdogs of their planets, bottom of the food change. But with all evolution, they quickly climbed the ladder. Now with their technology evolving fast it would appear they're trying to take over, and Earth is their first stop. Won't have to deal with their local galactic law enforces."

Local galactic? I sensed now was not the time to talk about interspace policing and politics, probably take too long. I made a mental note to ask at a later date (believe me I won't be doing something like that again- half way through that conversation I forgot most of he had already said). Instead I focused on two words. "Or something?"

"Yeah… as far as humans are concerned it could be one of two things. Slavery or annihilation. Depends on the whim of these guys. From the looks of the two we just saw, they're most likely generals of an army."

"You can tell that from one glance?"

He nodded. "Obvious from they're wording and colouring."

"That was their skin colour you racist!"

He just laughed. "That's a covering, similar to clothes, but works as a caste system. Most of their life revolves around their army."

"Oh." I paused, biting my lip.

"That's all? Very few questions for someone so curious."

"No…" the paused elongated, I wasn't even sure where to look. Or even how to ask. I took a breath and looked at him. "How are they involved with my family?"

The Doctor studied me for a few moments, then got to his feet, arching his back into a stretch. "That's enough questions for the moment-"

"Doctor!"

"We should be heading back soon, otherwise we'll be late-"

"This is a fuckin' time machine, doccy," I pointed out dryly, "stop avoiding the question and answer me. What does this have to do with uncle Ricky?"

He heaved a heavy sigh. The sigh itself sounded like a mournful sound from across the ages. The hairs on my on the nape of my neck stand on end. I swallowed hard, but stared back into those old eyes within that young face… suddenly he could have been thirty or three hundred. I should have been scared, I knew that. Instead I felt safer.

"The truth Doctor," as always when thoroughly nervous I felt myself filling with the want to either blow a gasket or make a bad joke. More specifically I half hoped he'd say, "you couldn't handle the truth!" Never happened…

"All right," he sat down again opposite me, the eye contact never broke, and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He was analysing me again. I could feel it. "It… would seem Ricardo is involved somehow." I could feel the impulse to defend uncle Ricky build, but I suppressed it. "Maybe voluntarily, for personal gain, family gain… you never know with people like him. Less likely is that he was forced into it. I suspect a deal. Maybe more. The specifics can't become clear little I know more. And… uh… hummm…" he trailed off.

"And?" I snapped, angry now at the sullying of my uncle's name.

"And I think it involves you."

"Me?!"

"Where you're from… why you're here… what you are… any of those. What ever it is- it definitely involves you."

"And you know this how?"

"They didn't kill you."

"Great! Because I'm not dead I'm now involve-"

"You're not dead because they need you! I didn't say you were involved. If you were involved you would have known about them."

I growled and finally looked away, my fingers clenched into fists. I suddenly didn't like him. No… that's unfair… I did, he gave me that feeling of adventure, safety and risk all in one go. I didn't like the fact he suspected uncle Ricky or any involvement. It was just wrong. It had to be wrong… if he was somehow wrapped up in it… it was an accident.

It didn't strike me at the time, but later I wandered why on earth I doubted it. Not because the one who told me was the Doctor, but because of everything else uncle Ricky was involved with. Nothing I condoned, but I would inevitably over look it, act like I knew nothing. All for the simple fact the man saved my life.

Just then all that was going through my head was, 'what does this alien know anyway?' I suppose I was just trying to defend myself… Which in itself is never a good idea. It blinds you.

"All right," I said finally.

"You believe me?"

"No."

"Humm… I didn't think so. But you'll change your mind."

"I don't think so."

"Oh so icy!"

"One last question."

"Fire away!"

"Where are we?"

Now he beamed at me, on his feet again, holding his hand out to me, "I thought you'd never ask! Come look."

"Come look?"

He just kept that grin, and snatched up my hands, unfurling them and pulling me excitedly towards the door. I suddenly became very nervous. Especially the last time he had lead me towards any other door. I like surprises, but there's only so many a girl can take in one day.

Apparently the limit stretches well above and beyond about four.

He pushed the door open and stood back, beaming at me. My eyes widened. I couldn't believe it. We seemed to be floating steadily over Earth. Instinctively I walked over to the entrance to take in the entire view

I could make out the green of the forests of Europe, the red sands of the desserts in Africa, there was a little peek of the top of Australia in the corner, and a small view of America off to my right. At the top was the white of the North Pole, with shimmering greens, purples, pinks, blues of the aurora borealis floating above the crown of the world. There were giant swirls of cloud over about the northern regions, particularly over where I could only assume was the British Isles. The ocean looked like polish lapis lazuli. Just beyond that I could see the moon floating in a pit of darkness, dotted with far off distant stars, I guessed that the sun was behind us.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. It was beautiful. Literally breath taking. I found myself leaning out, to try and get closer, almost get a better look, or just to feel what space was like. Who knew if I would ever get this chance again.

"Hold on there," the Doctor had a hold of my shoulders, keeping me secure, "I've extended the oxygen perimeter, but I can't extend it that far."

"It's… beautiful," I found myself capable of breathing again.

"Yeah… we're currently floating directly above the Northern regions of Africa, approximately. It's about," he glanced back at a screen, "about four in the afternoon there. And the year should be 1968."

"1968?!" I looked at him, "we went back?!"

He nodded, "figured going back in time just gives us more time to get back to your time."

I shook my head. "I'm not even going to ask…" I looked back at the view and leaned out of the ship. Space was cool, or at least it was within the oxygen area he had given us. There was no wind, no nothing, and I felt strangely stifled with the lack of noise but for what was coming from the TARDIS. But the sight before me made it all better.

"She's beautiful," the Doctor sounded oddly contented.

"I can see why she's your favourite," I breathed, "mother Earth…" I had the strangest feeling all of a sudden that I was saying good bye to the planet that had been my home. I didn't understand why, we had to go back… the Doctor had told me that. I shivered, and stepped back into the ship, arms wrapped around my body, and ducked underneath his arm.

"Zizi-" he started but I cut him off.

"I lied," I said suddenly. I heard the door shut and I turned round. He looked somewhat confused. "I have one more question."

"Yes?"

"How do we kill these buggalow things."

"Thentas!"

"Whatever!"

"What do you mean we?"

I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms, all my weight on one leg. "You think I'm sticking around in this box-"

"Amazing box."

"Yes-"

"Luxurious box!"

"Yes! This albeit fantastic box, but a box nonetheless, while you go out and have all the fun? You're mad!"

"Yes I am."

"Worse that you're aware then. I'm helping out. There is no way I'm sitting this out. Besides… they made me loose my pretty shoes, expensive bag and ruin my new dress! Uncle Ricky'll be annoyed with me. Therefore- I am having my own pay back."

He just grinned, this was better. It wasn't that damn cheeky grin, it was older, wiser and more daring. I found myself smirking back at him. "Not just a curious little shit are you? Loyal, brave and utterly fucking reckless." He laughed. "Fine, it sounds good to me. Two things. There are only two things I want from you, and you can help and I won't have you locked up in here."

"Go on…" I was apprehensive.

"One- I'm in charge."

"Goes without saying."

"Really?"

"Look if this was something I was faced with often, or even just once before, I'd say no way- but I've learned about aliens today. There is no way I'm going to say otherwise." I though I knew, deep down, that I would probably break that promise. I wouldn't do it on purpose, it was instinctual. Fighting it would be impossible. But I could still promise to try. "What's the second."

"No killing."

"What?! You're joking right-"

"No killing." His tone was firm, almost daring me to defy him.

"Doctor, they've killed before, how many to you think they've left alive? And they're after my blood too- even if they need me for the moment. Doesn't it just make s-"

"Zizi!" he interrupted me, "no killing. We get them off this planet, have them arrested-" I snorted at that, "anything! But no killing."

I glared, a growl rumbling at the back of my throat. I'm a New York copper. We're trained to shoot, and often it's shoot to kill. Because the torso is the largest target. Even then, personally I wouldn't aim for the chest area, too conscious of the risk of death, it still meant my instincts were to grab my gun. I always felt safer when armed. Might not be the right mentality… but it's the way I turned out. And having been found by people like uncle Ricky, really it was inevitable.

"We'll do it your way," I grumbled, "I'm not promising there will be no deaths… what happens happens…"

"I have a question!" he said suddenly.

"What?"

"What's your earliest memory?"

"What sort of question is that?"

"If you really push yourself… what is your earliest memory?"

I frowned, but he looked so eager that I found myself closing my eyes, trying to think back. Like every time I tried, beyond the hospital, I hit a brick wall. "Bright artificial light, hard uncomfortable bed, flat pillow and pretty girl sitting beside me, looking worried. Then a lot of noise."

"Do you remember what was said?"

I shook my head and opened my eyes. "I didn't really understand them. I didn't have a language when I woke up again. And… how did you know about your amnesia?"

"I spoke to one of your aunts- lovely woman, very gossipy."

"And this has to do with any of this how?"

"Could be everything, could be nothing," he replied cryptically, shrugging. "Now!" he suddenly leapt as though he'd been electrocuted, and ran off towards his panel, turning things, hitting things, pumping things. That strange wheezing sound was back again and all I could do was watch this mad man jump around like the lunatic he was. "We'd better head off to see what your uncle has to unveil!"

"Why?"

"Coz I wanna see what it is."

"Nosey."

"Might be interesting! I think it's something you should see as well- could you hit that- no the blue one."

"There isn't a blue one."

"That red one says blue- thank you! Could be something really impressive!"

I just rolled my eyes. He seemed to like getting excited, changing the subject and generally confusing people. Still… better than trying to kill them. I guess.

I remember thinking to myself, 'for an alien… this guy isn't all bad.'

HA!

We seemed to have found a parking space about two blocks from the hotel- which is better than the ten minutes running we had to do to get to the thing in the first place. And I say parking space. We more or less just set down on a street corner next to a drunk tramp who promptly threw a way a bottle in a brown paper bag, and swore never to drink again and wandered down the street to, I assume, sober up.

"Cliché," I muttered.

"Happens more often than I would like. Now," he looked at his watch, "we have technically been gone from this time period for five minutes- no! Four minutes, my watch seems to be a little fast. Never mind- it is a side effect of time travel. Still you would have thought a time traveller could make sure his watch it correct to the time period he's in wouldn't you."

I wasn't listening any more. My eyes were instead glued to the sky above. I had been up there… admittedly a few decades previously… when I hadn't even been born yet… but I had been there. And then… I was back to present day. Well… this present day… already the concept of time was getting eschewed to me.

"Zizi," his hand on my shoulder knocked me back to reality, "we have maybe fifteen minutes at the most to get there. And we have to argue our way back into the ball room."

"Why can't we just go in the same way you did?"

"I walked in the front."

"So did I."

"It's formal wear."

"So- shit…" he had a point. "Well… I am Ricky's niece so-" The Doctor raised his eyebrows at me. He still had a point. When I had arrived to a party like this previous in jeans and a top, I had been rejected. Chrissi had to storm out, reprimand the bouncers for not recognising me, then take me by the hand and lead me. "Fuck…" I muttered. "Ok. Right. Then what-"

"I'll talk, you play along. All right? And try to forget about the dangerous 'buggalows'-" he raised his fingers into quotation marks, "from another planet for a while. Might make you too edgy."

"I'm a cop amongst thieves or I'm a thief amongst cops… I'm always edgy," I replied, dryly.

"True," he put his arm round my shoulders and lead me down the street, "though you might also say…" he was off on one again. He talked about something someone did a long time ago when he visited someone or another. None of it really made sense to me. So I just agreed. Which I think- I know he picked up on because he eventually just bloody laughed for no apparent reason, and guided me up the steps of the hotel as though I was a doll. I let him for the moment, my mind was still a little shaken due to all these revelations that had just occurred

More was to come through the night…

At the door of the dining room was a tall white man in a black suit. A bouncer.

"Sorry," he sneered at us as we tried to walk in, he put his arm out to bar us, "this is a private function."

"Ah well you see- I have an invite-" the Doctor was off on one. He had taken out a piece of paper that was in a leather pouch, and was more or less waving it at the man's face.

I on the other hand, studied the man quietly. He wasn't one of our lot. He didn't have the right look… he didn't look after himself. Our lot drank, had fun and made sure the bad shit was given out… but very few were on the hard stuff. This man was hired, an outsider, he didn't know us, we didn't know him- he was just there for the night and he'd be gone the next day- he had no protection from us. He was literally just there to make the coppers think it was a legit party held by legit rich but private people.

But I knew him from somewhere before. He was tall, bulky, a combination of muscle and fat. His neck was almost non-existent, his bald hair round, his white skin pitted and scared from years of fights. His little brown eyes were blood shot, and he kept sniffing, pushing his knuckle up against his nose. His watch cut into his wrist, and his suit barely fitted him. I knew his type- on steroids due to inadequacy issues, on coke to escape, on weed to chill out, fighting to assert himself on the world. And I knew him. The scar down his left cheek, starting just below his eye gave him away. Partly because I had given it to him.

I grinned. "Hey, James isn't it?" I interrupted the men, the bouncer was getting annoyed with the talkative shorter man, and the English accent no doubt was making him feel patronised.

He looked at me. He didn't know me. But he knew the name. He didn't like that I knew his name. I could see it in those little squinted blood shot eyes.

"James Martin. Bulldog is your alias."

"So what, lady?" he snapped at me.

"Oh nothing. I'm just not all that surprised."

"At what?"

"Your stupidity."

He turned to look at me, the Doctor looked at me as though I had gone mad.

"Bulldogs aren't known for their intelligence. But they're good at being deterrents. You've got that down."

His eyes attempted to narrow. "You got a death wish?"

I shrugged. "Probably. I am a cop, and I'm trying to get into uncle Ricky's party, so yeah, death would about covers it."

That stopped him.

"Oh… did I forget to mention that? Yeah, I'm Zarmina Marinetti, though you probably know me better as 'oi bitch', or Zizi Ricky's niece." I put my hand out to him, watching his reaction.

He stiffened very suddenly. He took the hand I offered, squeezed then let go as though he'd just realised that touching me might result in his death as well. "Oh uh right- sorry miss, I didn't recognise you there… in… yes go right in ma'am, I'm so very sorry."

I smiled brightly. "Yes yes yes, that's quite all right," I moved passed him to go in. But when I turned to call the Doctor to follow me I found that Bulldog had stopped him again.

I coughed. "Ahem, Bulldog- you don't want to do that." I held my hand out for the Doctor, "come on honey, uncle Ricky wanted to talk business after the showing. Some sort of new deal, international expansion and all that."

He looked as though he was about to swallow his tongue. The Doctor looked as though he would burst with pride. He caught up with me, snatched up my hand and pressed a kiss to my knuckles.

"Of coarse, completely slipped my mind, sweetheart, shall we?"

"We shall," I glanced over my shoulder where Bulldog had promptly started to sweat nervously, and had turned his back to us. His whole head had gone bright red. I debated on whether or not to tell uncle Ricky what had happened, but I decided not to be so cruel. Though I doubt uncle Ricky would have done anything anyway.

As we walked in, the lights were going down. The guests were all holding flutes of Champagne, or small shot glasses of whiskey or bourbon. They were all turned towards the stage where my uncle was standing, talking with two people. A man and a woman, both in lab coats, the woman looked severe, like my little cousin Natalia's chemistry teacher (nasty woman), while the man somewhat more laid back, though probably no less intelligent if the intensity of the conversation was anything to go by.

Before them was a table, with what I could only assume was a model beneath a white cloth. Which was unusual in itself. Uncle Ricky _loved _flashy showy things, the bigger the better sort of concept. Highly amusing for his brothers who preferred more covert means of money making. Behind him, the white screen was unravelled, prepped for a slide show.

That was unusual. And suspicious. He always liked to show off his new shinny toys, in the flesh, and rarely liked to go into detail about how they came to life. Though I guessed considering the scientific in put, that would have been insisted upon.

As I took this in, quite quickly I must point out, the Doctor grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowds, to get closer to the stage. Most likely to try and get a better look at what was going on. He was a curious enough bugger. I was suddenly grateful for the loss of the killer heels- moving that fast amongst those people would have been impossible if it wasn't for practical shoes.

We stopped quite suddenly when we were approximately five rows of people away from the stage. He tugged me to his side and released my hand from his tight grip. I had half a mind to make it a point of showing him how much he had hurt my hand. I decided it was neither warranted nor practical at that point in time, and just looked at him briefly before looking towards the stage.

He had stuffed his hands in his pockets, and he was studying uncle Ricky closely, frowning. The light came into focus on my uncle and almost straight away I could see the Doctor looking at the two scientists instead, who were now looking very, _very _uncomfortable.

With my attention away from this Time Lord, and now on my uncle, who was now addressing the floor.

"Ladies, gentlemen, family and friends," he beamed winningly at them all, he was a charismatic man in his own way, "I do hope you have enjoyed the evening thus far." There was a murmur of agreement, Carlos wolf-whistled in the background, as he always does. A titter of laughter. "If there are any issues with the food, address the hotel, the drink, I shall ensure no such mistake happens again."

The laughter was more nervous this time. Uncle Ricky was well known for taking his drink a little too seriously at times. Not an alcoholic… but if it wasn't right, things happened.

"Now I must confess! I myself am a little disappointed with myself. I had hoped to dazzle you all immediately with my new beautiful innovative machine! I hoped to show you what each and every little dial does in all it's pristine physical beauty! Alas… that cannot be so. My scientists assure me the problem is only momentary, and will only seen a few tweaks. I was far too excited to wait further into the night to show you all. Therefore, this shall be a prequel! A prequel to reveal what I have been oh so secretive about recently. If all goes well… we shall meet again, in a possibly more sedated setting, next week… as for now…" He took hold of a side of the white cloth, there was a collective intake of breath in anticipation. "my new toy…"

He pulled the white cloth away with great flourish to reveal!

To reveal… well… I wasn't even sure. To be absolutely blunt, I thought he'd gone mad. In the past it had been a building, to keep the state happy, or a get rich quick scheme. But this? It looked like… I don't even know! It was a machine, that much was certain. Most of it seemed to be a large computer, with a screen and a panel. I suppose it was impressive. Just so mysterious it made such little sense to anyone there.

"My Devisor," he explained, "to put it simply, friends, it is a future viewer."

My eyes bulged at that. Had he helped himself to the produce again? This wasn't the first time he'd spouted such crap, this time was just so much more publicly than just in front of his family. This was utterly impossible. It had to be impossible. And yet he was standing there with two scientists, explaining how it worked with the help of slides.

He talked a lot. Most of it in jargon I honestly did not understand. I was intrigued, my curiosity was utterly ignited and there was no way for it to stop now. It just made absolutely no sense to me what so ever. I suppose it was science… science never held much interest with me, even when we went over classes that I should have done in my past, while maths, english and some languages stuck- science fled out the window. So this… this left me staring, and probably drooling, like a moron. What I did get was the fact that uncle Ricky was getting increasingly excited as he explained. I wanted to know what- yet it was just outside of my reach.

The Doctor grasped it. I tore my attention away from the stage to look at him. He understood it all. He was staring at the screen intently, and the look in his eye was getting more and more intense. His brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed, though the rest of his face was left unmoving.

I leaned towards him, muttering, "what's happened? I don't understand much of this."

He didn't even look at me. He was still staring straight ahead. "This isn't right. This is the wrong age! Wrong time for man. Besides… when it does happen it doesn't come to the hands of mobsters! It comes to people who know that such a device cannot be made if they want to keep the human race alive! And besides it's not… it's not complete anyway…" his voice trailed off.

I resented that to be honest. Mobsters! Thanks- great compliment to my family. He could have at least put what they were in nicer terms. I suspect he didn't even register my irritation.

"What do you mean?" I snapped at him.

The applause had started, and uncle Ricky took a bow to the audience. The Doctor meanwhile took my hand again, tightly, as though he knew it was going to be a fight with me. "It means we have to get the hell out of here."

I stared at him. He was serious. He was being forceful. His capriciousness seemed to have utterly disappeared. It was all business now. And that change… that change had happened so fast it left my mind spinning. What had changed? What had made him so upset?

"Why?" was all I could ask.

"We just have to get out of here now."

"Doctor- come on, you're scaring me-"

"Zizi, we worked together to get out of the maze, you trusted me enough to follow me into a spaceship and you understood that I would make sure nothing could hurt you even when you leaned out into the vacuum of space." His gaze was so intense. I felt like I was going to explode if I stared too long, but I couldn't bring myself to look away. "Listen to me now. Remember that and come with me. We have to g-"

"Zizi!" I could hear uncle Ricky calling for me, "Zizi! Bambini! Where are you bella?"

"Zizi," the Doctor's voice was much quieter, calmer, "come with me." His fingers squeezed mine, more gently, "please."


	4. Persuading the Pigheaded

A/N: OK, first update in over a year, I'm not even sure if anyone even remembers this, but never mind, and idea is and idea and will be finished! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4

Persuading the Pigheaded

"Please?"

Just a single word. Simple. Honest. As I watched him, trying to make up my own mind, I could see his eyes becoming softer… gentler. That alone should have been enough to convince me. I knew he was right. Something inside me knew he was right. Knew that I had to listen to him. That he knew more about what was going on that I- the only thing that made any real sense for self preservation was to follow his lead.

And then there was something else inside me, bigger, more obvious, more demanding… that something had that infallible sense of loyalty toward uncle Ricky… towards the rest of my family. Without fail I knew that would come first. For one simple reason. They came first. They took me in. They saved my life. Because he saved my life. That had become my mantra… he saved my life. I could never ever get away from that fact… and that part of me… that loyal part of me would never let me.

My eyes dropped. With that intense look gone from his brown fathomless orbs, I could look away. I had to look away, I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"Sorry," I muttered, "I have to go."

I pulled away. His grip on my fingers tightened. I still didn't look up. But I did growl.

"I said I have to go…" He didn't budge. "Doctor-"

"I heard you," he interrupted. His tone had suddenly become all the more brighter yet again, I found my gaze on him once again. What the hell was with this switching of personalities? It was hard to keep up with. But as I looked, those eyes still had that steely glint within them, plotting… frustrated… and perhaps a little anger. Then almost as quickly as I registered this, the quality changed again, to being gentler. No less intense, but gentler all the same. My brain kept screaming 'WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS CREATURE?', it still does that sometimes, but for the same reasons as back then, I stuck around. "I'm coming with you."

I became flustered, that was unexpected. "What? I mean- I heard you but- why? You-"

"I'm curious," he shrugged, turning away from me and tugging on my hands, towards the stage, "besides I want a better look at that model, there's only so much I can learn from a speech."

I did not like that tone of voice he was using. I've certainly gotten used to it since, I guess at the time I wasn't used to it… and the fact he was still in reference to my uncle. I didn't like it. At the same time, even then, I was fully aware that previously I might have been intrigued, I would have followed to see how it turned out, see what he had worked out. Instead, this involved my family, my loved ones, so I was understandably worried about what he was going to do.

Still… I had no choice. Uncle Ricky was still calling for me, and the Doctor was pulling me towards that calling voice, and I had to know what he was calling me for. What he needed from me.

Together we wound our way around the other guests, side stepping, winding, ducking at some points. It felt almost like a dance getting through all those people! They were all chattering about the presentation, the men pretending to have understood what he was talking about, the women either nodding, looking bored or muttering amongst themselves that the males had about as much understanding as they did. I couldn't help but grin to myself, it was always the way. It was a shame I wasn't given more time to savour the irony and the hilarity of the situation, but both the Doctor and my uncle were very persistant that I reach the stage immediately!

By the time I had reached there, he had clearly spotted me making my way through the crowds and naturally ignored anyone else around me. He was only concerned with me at that point in time, there for that was all that mattered- that I was coming to him. As a result, he had become distracted by men I could only assume were his partners, who were asking questions about how much they could expect to gain from the project. A economics… something I understood little to nothing about beyond my own income and taxes. Instead I watched uncle Ricky work his magic; brushing them off with confusing words, reassuring smiles and charming laughters. He was a clever man, and a business man through to his very core. If he had ever taken a liking towards the more legitimate side, he'd become an altogether new monster of corporations! The entire room new that. The fact he favoured the more often than not illegal side, made him all the more formidable as a person… but did restrict what he could and could not do. Everyone in that room was aware of this, and more than likely very grateful.

As I waited for him to finish, I stood quietly, at his side, and become aware that the Doctor had released my hand. I stole a glance over my shoulder in case uncle Ricky decided to pay attention to me suddenly. The strange man was peering closely at the model of the… the contraption was all I could describe it as just then. He had taken out a pair of glasses and was peering at every nook and cranky of the thing, as though he was trying to work something out. At the time I thought the glasses were weird, he gave no clue that he actually needed them… it wasn't till later did I figure out that they were simply there for show. Another thought that struck me was the fact that he was so curious, I wandered if perhaps his curiousity could have been comparable to mine! Joanna and at least half my cousins seemed to think such a thing would be have been impossible… looking at the Doctor I wasn't so sure.

Finally my name was called once again, and I lifted my head to attention, towards Ricky, immediately there was a smile upon my lips, genuine really, when directed towards my uncle. I accepted the engulfing hug and returned it with vigor. In that moment all doubt was swept away, the Doctor's words sounded utterly ludicrous, and I relaxed.

"Bella!" he released me, holding my shoulders tightly, his eyes were bright with excitement, he was like a little boy with a new toy that he wanted the world to see… but not necessarily touch. "Did you see my speech?"

"Of coarse! I wouldn't have missed it for the world!" Though I almost did…

"What did you think?"

I opened my mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Then I started grinning, and I tried not to laugh. "Uncle… how much honesty would you like?"

"Pretend I am Chrissi and I have asked for your opinion of a woman that I have taken an interest in."

"I didn't understand a fucking word."

He burst out laughing, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "That's my girl!" his arm tightly around my shoulders he presented me to the people standing around, "see that? That's the sort of honesty I want! Blunt, brazen and- and…" he stopped, trailing off, looking at me, her forehead creased. "Bambina… darling… what happened to your clothes? Your beautiful dress?"

I flushed red. "Uh… ummm…"

"No need to be embarrassed, tell me."

I looked at him, worry lines becoming more and more obvious with every moment I didn't answer him. I wanted to tell him the truth… I didn't want to lie to him. Not to my uncle Ricky! The problem was, if I was right and the Doctor was wrong, he'd me packed off to see a shrink before the danger would become apparent. The last time I saw a shrink, it ended badly. For him that is, not me. If it was the other way around, I didn't want that confirmation. So I chose ignorance, and I lied.

"It's very embarrassing," I said, using my flush of red as a blush, not of guilt, and glanced at the people around us.

He took the hint, turned us away from them, and bent so his ear was level with my mouth. He wasn't a short man. Childishly I cupped my hands around his ear and whispered, clearly, but quietly, "I tripped in the garden. The dress ripped… all the way up. It was very embarrassing! So I changed and this was all that was available. I'm so sorry uncle, I wanted to stay in it, but…" I dropped my hands and looked away, my red cheeks growing redder.

He kissed my cheek again, that only made the guilt worse. "It's all right, dear heart, you did what you could in a possibly very embarrassing situation. I'd rather have you covered and presentable than beautiful and exposed, you know that. Anything to make you, my darling, more comfortable."

This made me grin. I positively beamed. As far as I was concerned this was proof beyond doubt that this was was indeed who he said he was and who I thought he was. There was no way in my mind that this man could know of those creatures in the basement. He loved me, cared for me and wouldn't let a thing harm me. I just knew it!

Ah… ignorance… tis bliss.

He turned us back around in one swift movement, and faced his attempted peers. His showman's smile was back, it was different to his more relaxed smile.

"Now, sirs," he practically announced, his arm locked around my shoulders. His focus was on the men before us, not on me, so I glanced back again, at the Doctor as uncle Ricky spoke. He was still studying the contraption, but now looking between a device in his hands which he was typing on, and the model. I wandered at the time if he was looking something up, he looked so engrossed, academic almost. I briefly remembered him claiming he wanted to meet my uncle, it was then I realised he was more interested in the machine. I let him play, and turned my attention back, mere seconds after I had abandoned my attention to uncle Ricky's voice. "This is my niece Zarmina, though you've probably heard of her Zizi."

There were four people he was introducing me to; two of which were partners of his, on his more legitimate side of business, though I know they dabbled in the illegal side too. I had met them before, a few times, and I had never liked either of them very much.

One was in his thirties, a self absorbed, egotistical, but very intelligent business man. I had flicked through documents from him to uncle Ricky when I'd gone into his office; the business plans, ideas and other such were well thought out, well structured and fully taking advantage of the crooked capitalist so-called meritocratic structure. I had to admire him. To an extent that is. He was also a self-claimed ladies man. I had been told he could flirt his way into a nun's habit if he wanted to. But the only witnessing of such charm I had was when he tried to hit on Joanna. It resulted in her shooting him down utterly accidently. She was confused as to why I was in utter fits of hysterics, where as he simply glared at me. I was also all too well aware of his beliefs on women belonging in the kitchen. The conversation had ended frostily, and since then we kept civil, he knew all too well if he wasn't careful a word from me could end him with my uncle.

"Mr Whyate," the smile I wore was smug, I couldn't help it. "I hope I find you well."

"Very much so," came his reply, as I accepted the hand he offered, "it is a pleasure to see you again doing so well."

The other man was older, in his late fifties, early sixties. A true old fashioned gangster, dressed in sharp suits, smoking a thick, well made and expensive cigar with a rotund body and a good humour about him. I didn't like him either. He had a similar attitude as Whyate about women, though he didn't disrespect us enough to underestimate us. He also had a certain way about him when greeting the younger generation. I always felt like I was suddenly a little girl, and he was about to ruffle my hair and give me a lollypop.

"Ah Zizi," the old man took my hand, I suppressed my irritations, and the smile plastered to my face was getting increasingly plastic. "You have grown well!"

Uncle Ricky and I shared a very brief look. Neither of us said a word. The comment was ridiculous, but he was an older gentleman, and had earned the respect of his peers justly.

"Thank you, Mr. Deavner," I replied, "I'm glad to find you in such good spirits."

That feeling that I was about to get my head ruffled struck me again, he'd done it in the past. It was a good think uncle Ricky gave him a swift, warning look. Instead he laughed good naturedly and patted my shoulder with a podgey hand.

Next were the two people I didn't know. They were the scientists, the people uncle Ricky had indicated to on stage. A man and a woman, I couldn't place their age.

The woman was a severe looking creature. Her black hair was pulled back into the tightest, tidiest, shiniest bun I'd ever seen in real life. She wore little rectangular specticles, perched on a long sharp nose. Her features were all sharp and pointed, nothing soft about them. And her expression was hawk like… not like she was studying me, more like she would rather chew me up and spit me out just to make a point of it.

Her male counter part looked a lot more relaxed. He was taller, almost lanky, with sharp features, but not as spiked as the woman. His hair was longish and messy, and his hands were stuck in his jeans pockets as he grinned at me, even before his introduction.

"These, Bambina are Ingrid Preston and George Hart," uncle Ricky told me, "they are the brains behind the project, the scientists and geni'i who put the whole thing together.

I shook the hands they offered me. I couldn't help but study them more closely as I managed to get a closer look at them. I was having the strangest sense of dé javu as I did look at them. They sensed this I could tell, Hart seemed to immediately try and make even more of an effort to be friendly and laid back, while Preston's eyes narrowed, and appeared, if possible, more hollow.

"It's wonderful to make your acquaintance," I told them, keeping a civil tongue, trying not to let my curiousity burst.

"You too, miss Marinetti," Hart replied, good naturedly, "we've heard much about you, all of it good of coarse."

On hearing that uncle Ricky had not only spoken about me, but complimented me too, I flushed red again. Then faulted. I could not shake that déja vu. "I'm sorry, please don't think me rude… but have we met?"

They faulted. Hart's smile disintegrated into a frown, and seemed unsure how to reply. Which is when Preston stopped in.

"It is very likely, miss Marinetti," her voice was as sharp as her face, clipped and controlled. I took an immediate disliking to it. It was almost as if she were a robot! "We were often in the main house, we may have met briefly there during out work on the project."

"Ah!" I nodded, almost enthusiastically, "of coarse of coarse, that would make sense."

She was lying. And it was a bare faced lie. I hadn't been in the house for months. Even uncle Ricky knew that. I had seen them more recently than that. Besides, there is a difference between déja vu and a memory, and this was not strictly speaking a memory.

That aside, I can always tell when someone is lying to me. It might be a bare faced lie like this, or simply omitting part of the full story, but I know. How I know I don't even understand. In this case, it was a very big lie.

"We must be getting on," Preston said suddenly, her voice still clipped and sharp, "nice to have met you, miss Marinetti."

"And you," I forced a smile. My knowledge of this lie would be kept quiet for the time being.

"I'm sure we'll meet again," Hart said quickly.

"I look foreword to it," I replied.

There was a very, _very _brief exchange with with uncle Ricky, so quiet that I couldn't catch a single word. Though even now I doubt I would have made much sense of it.

Then uncle Ricky turned his attention back to me. "I must see to the other guests, Zizi darling, but I have a favour to ask of you."

"Of coarse uncle," my automatic reaction.

"I will need to speak to you later. In private. I'll have Christoforo come and fetch you. Is that all right?"

This had never happened before, I was stunned. We have often spoken in private, of coarse, we were family. But this sounded more immediate, normally he'd say a later date, and ask me what time in that day I'd be able to come and see him. This 'later' meant that day… during that party… he had never ever done that previously.

For a moment I was suspicious. Why change age old tradition and talk to me at a time that was probably more convenient for the both of us? What was so urgent? But as these thoughts came up, I pushed them away again, almost physically. I put them down to the seeds of doubt that the doctor had sown in my mind earlier in the evening, all that talk of him knowing abut the buggalows, how I was in danger. No, this was uncle Ricky, my uncle Ricky. He saved my life! My damn life! I had no reason for these suspicion. I considered myself a fair logical person, so I dismissed them. Perhaps proving how wrong I was about myself… And I nodded at my uncle. "Of coarse! I'll be around. Probably near the bar."

"You watch what you drink now, Zizi, you know how easily you come under the influence." He pressed a kiss to my forehead, "ciao bella," he said cheerfully, and walked away.

I touched my forehead, where he'd kissed me as I walked away from the front of the room, the stage area if you like. I was shaking a little, and I felt a little queasy. I had this distinct feeling that something was going to happen and there was very little I could do about it. That someone had lied to me… not using words, it wasn't as definite at that. It didn't stop that feeling persisting, like someone screaming at me from a very long distance.

I think it was this feeling, these thoughts, that made me forget about the doctor completely. I left him studying the model as other guests joined him. I didn't mean to, at least not consciously.

I made my way over to the bar, just so that I could sit down, deal with that awful sensation I was getting. I guess I wasn't really paying attention. With my gift of hindsight, I see now I wasn't even aware of what was around, sounds blurred, even vision was somewhat dodgy. I was far too focused on what my instincts were trying to tell me.

So it was understandable that it wasn't till Joanna grabbed my shoulder and turned me around did I even realise that she had been calling to me.

She looked so concerned, her large eyes round with worry, he hands wrapped around mine, as if making sure that I was really there, not a ghost or apparition. My uneasiness slipped away, my shaking stopped and I felt all the more relaxed that I had done since the Doctor begged me not to go see uncle Ricky. I smiled at her. Here was someone who would never lie to me, she simply never had the knack.

"Is everything all right?" her voice squeaked at the end, despite her trying very hard to keep her tone and pitch even. She wasn't used to me being so dazed at these parties, normally I was sitting there analyzing the people who had turned up, and very sharp.

"Yeah… yeah everything's fine!"

"I've been yelling your name for five minutes now!" she is however prone to exaggeration, "Didn't you hear me? Why didn't you hear me?"

"I… I dunno. Guess my brain is just else where, sorry Joanna, you have my undivided attention now I swear!"

She growled. "I should hope so." She looked me over, confusion crossed her lovely features. "Zizi… darling, what happened to your dress?"

Immediately my mind looked back to the remains of the beautiful gown on the TARDIS floor, just around the corner. As well as my shoes lost somewhere in the basement, bloody and destroyed.

I heaved a sigh. I had to come up with something for her. Quickly. The truth would just terrify her. Bless her heart, she couldn't lie and there was no way she could tell if someone lying to her, I've had to save her a few times in the past because of that. At the same time, that very nature of hers means that I won't lie to her either. At least, I never had done until that point. I hated myself for doing it… but it was that or her demanding I had over the merchandise. I won't deny that I've touched it in the past, I will say that hallucinations are not a side effect of weed that I've experienced, and definitely not such vivid hallucinations.

"Well…" I spoke slowly, hoping she's take it as embarrassment, really trying to put together a plausible story. "I- I went for a walk. In the gardens. Just to get away for a moment or too, it gets too stuff in here, and I'm not a big fan of crowds."

"Tell me about it," she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"I ended up tripping over, the hem of the dress got caught under my heels. They're lethal! I'm not wearing them again. The dress… well it ripped. Revealing somethings that shouldn't really be on show in a in a public arena."

"We're not in an arena," she pointed out.

"At a party then," I couldn't help but smile, she took things literally when she was irritated. "It's besides the point. These were the only thing available to me."

"So whose are they?"

"Uh… What?"

"Those clothes. The jeans might be female, but that a guy's shirt," she tugged on the sleeve, "too big to be yours, and too unshapely to be any girl's. So who's is it?"

I was stuck. I wasn't sure how to answer that. A friend? An acquaintance? The guy who saved my ass from giant half human half insect beings? Either way… there were be too many unanswerable questions. I had to come up with something!

"Well… uh- you ummm… you see…" I stammered. I can think on my feet most of the time, but I knew there had to be a plausible back story that went with it. She raised her eyebrows at me, her arms crossed. She wasn't the brightest spark. But anyone could see me floundering.

"They're mine," a familiar English accent said. I breathed a sigh of relief, trying not to make it obvious I was glad for the intervention.

Then it struck me. I had just abandoned him as I walked away from uncle Ricky, and he had pretty much just been standing right behind me! I had just walked away. And there he was. Saving my ass. Again. This was becoming an annoying habit.

One we never did break.

"Hi, I'm John Smith," the Doctor smiled. I frowned, just a little, more quizzically at him. Why didn't he tell me that? I knew he was lying. I mean, he did say it so smoothly and naturally I almost believed him. That didn't mean he wasn't obviously lying. To me at least. I just wanted to know, why didn't he lie to me? That would have made life easier for him.

"Joanna Marinelli, Zizi's cousin," she held her hand out towards him. We may have been expecting a hand shake, but the two of us were taken by surprise by his action of taking her fingers and kissing them softly, bowing a little at the waist.

It was my turn for my eyebrows to go up, looking directly at him. He met my gaze, only for an instant, and winked, before returning his attention to Joanna.

"I'm a friend of Zizi's," he explained, "we haven't known each other long-"

I covered my bark of laughter with a cough.

"It honestly hasn't been all that long since I arrived in this fair city."

I couldn't believe how thick he was laying it on. Though I had to hand it to him, he was working beautifully! She was far too taken in by his accent and his treatment of her to really pay all that much attention to the actual content of what was being said. The bizarre alien really knew how to deal with women. Most women.

"I'm staying near by, and I was with Zizi as the accident occurred. I proposed a change of clothes would be the best coarse of action, in that way she would not need miss out on the party."

"Well… yes, yes of coarse. Than you, Mr. Smith-"

"It's John, please."

"Thank you, John," she smiled, coyly, her eye lashes fluttering, a very slight pout forming at her lower lip. I think my own lower lip started wobbling with the need to laugh, and suppressing it was very difficult. It wasn't often that Joanna has initiated flirting with a man. When it did happen… lets just say subtlety was not her strong point.

"Oh that's quite all right. I'm always happy to help a friend."

I was half expecting this conversation to continue. Joanna had that sort of effect. Even if she wasn't exactly the most subtle person on earth, it was a rare moment when a man rejected such advances.

My expectations were wrong this time. I needed to learn to stop underestimating the Doctor.

"No, Zizi, my dear, I was hoping to have a word?"

"What- oh right, yeah sure."

"In… private?"

"That works too…" I glanced around. "Outside?"

"Of coarse."

He bowed towards Joanna. "It was a pleasure meeting you Joanna. I hope to meet you again."

"The pleasure was all mine," she replied, nodding her head in reply.

"I'll see you in a bit," I said to her, moving to follow the Doctor's exit. Halted quite suddenly by Joanna pulling on my arm to hold me back.

"You lucky girl, Zizi! Where'd you find him? He's nice!"

"It's a long story- wait… what are you talking about?"

"Don't be so bashful. I can tell!"

I looked at her, incredulous and surprised don't really cover my emotions. "Believe me Joji, calling us friends is a bit of a stretch, he's being charitable. Nothing more. Nice guy, but really, _really _weird."

"Well if you don't want him…"

"I'm not sure he works like that, sweetheart," I kissed her cheek, "I'll see you in a bit, all right? And keep off the drink for a bit, it's beginning to show more."

She flushed red, returned my kiss, then turned to walk back into the throng of people. I on the other hand, went to meet my own fate, and moved towards where 'John' was holding the door open.

"You know what," I began, as I stepped through the door, "you are a strange man. A strange, strange-"

The door shut with a snap.

"You're in danger?"

I turned around and looked at him. "What?" My voice came out flat, dry, unbelieving. His statement had been far too sudden, almost melodramatic for me to take it seriously.

"You are in danger," he repeated himself, not breaking eye contact. He really believed what he was saying!

"Ok, right… so far tonight, I've managed to figure out you're some kind of mad genius," I started, having turned around, walking towards a near by bench. "But… why am I in danger? How?"

"You don't believe me?"

"In all honesty? No. Of coarse not. I mean, why should I be? I have organised criminals, crooked cops and gang bangers galore in there, all of whom are loyal to or terrified of my uncle. Which means, they protect him and his family. Which means they protect me. And I have a badge, that protects me further even if I'm off duty. I have _nothing _ to be afraid of."

His eyes became almost sorrowful, frustrated. He looked as though he wanted to grab hold of my arms and shake me, his knuckles were even whitening a little. Instead he shook his head at me. "You… you still don't get it. You know exactly what I am, you know about the TARDIS, you've seen the thentas-"

"Buggalows," I interrupted stubbornly. I was trying to assert what I could understand on a reality that was making less and less sense. A futile attempt.

He ignored me this time, almost looking irritated by my childishness. "And yet you still cannot, will not, see beyond your little world of thieves and murders."

"Gangsters, please… at least get that right." He was traveled enough not to be so discourteous to my family. At least that was the way I saw it.

This time his impulse seemed to great, his hands shot out and grabbed my shoulders, gripping them tightly, they were vibrating a little, almost shaking me. He was so frustrated, but so was I. "Be serious! You _are _in danger! And even if your uncle wanted to help you-" now that really stung. I think that was what truly coloured my response, beyond anything else. "He couldn't. This has gone far beyond his little gadget, his plans or even you. And you need _my _help, you _need _to believe me!"

"Why should I? I need a reason! You can't just demand-"

"Because I know what you are."

Now that confused me. He said what. Not who. I frowned. Not just because of my confusion, that too hurt a little bit. It made me sound like a creature. Though I suppose I was, it was simply a matter of perspectives, but the point was… he made me sound like I wasn't human. He wasn't making a great argument for himself.

"What?" My voice and tone was flat, icy, and still curious.

The grip on my arms slackened a little, he was looking me straight in the face, as though in this way he could make sure I knew that there was no chance of deception. Actually it turned out to be a habit when he was in ernest, but it was a while before I learned that.

"I know what you are, Zizi, I know what you are capable of and I know that because of that, you are in danger."

I could feel my eye narrowing as I looked back at him. That sense that he knew more than me, about me- it was right. My instincts were very rarely wrong. In the case, it meant that I just disliked him even more, the entire situation felt like it was getting further and further out of my control and it was not appreciated.

Questions whirled and whirled in my head. What did my past have to do with anything in my present? How long had he known? The moment we met? Before? Later? But more than that… how did he know? So he was a time traveller, that much I could handle, that didn't mean he was all knowing! The universe is vast after all, and adding time as a dimension that can be traveled forewords, backwards, up, down and otherwise, is was borderline unlimited! So how he could know about me? What was the likeliness exactly? And still that word 'what' got to me. What did he mean by that?

I was upset, annoyed and getting more and more frustrated.

"So tell me," I replied, quietly, my teeth gritted as I tried to keep my temper, our eyes locked almost in a duel.

"Not now?"

"What do you mean by not now?" the sentence exploded from my lips, fury beginning to take over. He seemed to almost take a step backwards, but he didn't let me go. I could sense a certain amount of nervousness there, as though there were a fair few ways this could go according to him, and he wasn't sure which one would happen. "This is about me," I reigned in my temper, and forced myself back into gritting my teeth and forcing the fire of my frustration and anger down, "I have a right to know. You have no right to keep it from me!"

"No. Not if it means the knowledge will only endanger you further. Just… wait. Wait till you're out of danger." He tried a smile. I felt like he was treating me like a wounded animal, trying to find a compromise. "Besides, wasn't it you who said that it made more sense to hold off on questions until you're somewhere safe? So that you can then ask all the questions you want and gain more answers?"

I didn't know how to answer that. I couldn't. He was appealing to my generally unwavering sense of rationality. At the same time I was all too aware of the fact that he became panicked after he had been studying uncle Ricky's model. Thus, the implication was clear. I didn't like that, so the snarl remained in my expression.

"You know I'm right Zizi," he moved a little closer to me now, he was more confident this time."

"He loves me," was my only reply.

"Maybe-"

"It's not a matter of maybe."

"I'm not disagreeing with you," he paused, sighing. This time I felt patronized, like he was treating me like a child who was throwing a tantrum. It wasn't till later that I realised that it was my own hurt pride that was making me see it that way. "But think about it. Who else does he love? He loves his own son doesn't he?"

"Of coarse he loves Chrissi!"

"Exactly… he still uses him doesn't he?"

I could see where he was going with this. I could feel my arm muscles tensing, even though I was forcing myself not to curl my fists.

"He might be the heir to Ricardo's fortunes, it doesn't stop him from being the subject of being used. He's the muscle, the charmer, the face of a lot of his father's work. I'm not saying that Ricardo doesn't love. I'm saying he uses people. Even- especially those he loves. And-"

I pulled out of his grip, trying to walk away. I didn't want to hear any more. He still followed me, not giving in.

"And," he persisted, "he is going to use you, he's going to put your life in danger, and he-"

"No!" I shrieked, "no no no! You're making this up. No. He'd never do that! Not to me."

"Yes he would."

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes I do. I've seen this before-"

I don't remember raising my hand, or even making the swing for him. But the next thing I knew, my hand had made contact with the side of his face, and I was glaring at him wildly.

I dropped my hand. It stung a little. As I looked at him, his cheek began to redden. He looked as surprised as I felt. The moment that passed felt like an eternity. Only broken by him raising his hand to his cheek, baffled at what had happened.

At that I started thinking again. I looked down, away from him and turned around and left without saying another word. As I reached the door the Doctor called out to me.

"You might not believe me yet, but I'm rarely wrong-"

I paused to hear him to that point, but I didn't let him finished. I stepped in and shut the door behind me firmly, cutting off what ever else he might have said.

I was so certain I would never see him again. So certain.

Hindsight. That strange, beautiful thing. I still feel foolish as I look back to that.


	5. Instincts Versus Love

A/N: Brain seems to be working slower than normal at the moment, but it's been a lot of sorting out of uni, freshers and so forth (I'm dreading freshers week, don't like clubs much, I like conversation, not writhing like a cat having a fit). So next installment! Thank you to ! I'm glad you're enjoying it! I have to admit, I postiviely blushed at your review, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Which I have to admit is a bit of an experiment, so I'm not sure it works. Let me know!

Chapter 5

Instincts Versus Love

As the door shut behind me with a snap, I made my way to the bar winding my way through the ever moving body of the crowds of people there. I suddenly felt suffocated, why did they have to be there? Get lost! I don't need this right now.

My brain was full of… anger? Hatred? Frustration? I'm not even sure what. A conglomeration of things that baffled me more than I thought my own mind could. My thoughts darted between my want for answers and his words, his explanation, just what the hell he meant by 'what' I was and his warnings.

As a result, when I reached the bar and sat down, I unconsciously ordered a shot of whiskey. I don't even like whiskey, it's too strong in taste and alcohol concentration for my delicate system. Bourbon, vodka, rum, those were my drinks, never whiskey.

Despite this, I took the tumbler, not even looking at the brown liquid, and tossed it back, swallowing it with a single gulp. The bar tender looked at me in surprise, I think he was the same one as before, clearly had learned from the previous conversation that alcohol was not exactly my forte.

I pushed the glass away, shivering as I felt the alcohol slip down into my stomach, he asked me if I wanted another, I shook my head. That sharp, bitter taste on my tongue and the burning feeling down my throat was enough to remind me why I rarely, if ever, drank whiskey. That and I didn't need to test my limits just then, there would be time for that, later in the night. When I had proved to the doctor that he was wrong. When.

"Zizi?" I looked up, blinking away those angry thoughts and I found myself looking straight into the dark eyes of Chrissi. He looked somewhat concerned, I'm not sure if it was for me or if he was just confused about my attire, "you all right?"

"Yeah I'm fine," I said brightly, grinning at him childishly. I forced all my worries and emotion to the back of my mind, compartmentalizing, while I was never always great at this, I knew that it was the most logical thing to do… until there was a decent time for me to deal with these feelings. It was the way I worked. It's not always a good thing. One day it will get the better of me.

"I heard about your trip," he grinned at me, then gave me the childish line of, "I hope you enjoyed it!"

I scowled at him, pouting like a little girl, arms crossed high up my chest.

"Oh shut up." I looked up at him, he was imitating me, I couldn't help myself, I laughed, "we all know I'm a klutz!"

I was suddenly so grateful for his appearance. He calmed me down, made me realise that he was part of the reason that the doctor could only be wrong. He was my family too, he'd never hurt me. He'd only tease me, mock me, and get his revenge on someone who so much as knocked me to one side.

Then he relaxed his mocking of me, he shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Come on, my darling, dad wants you." I should have sensed something in his words then. The change had been far too quick.

I looked surprised, that was fast. "Really? What for?"

"I have no idea," shrugged Chrissi, he was clearly as confused about the whole situation as I was, "he's in one of the conference rooms. He just told me to come and get you."

I could feel my heart palpitating. Was I scared or was I just anticipating what my uncle wanted from me? How bad could it be?

I pushed that feeling away. I put it down to the Doctor trying to upset me, trying to make me think that I was in danger. I wasn't. I couldn't be. I convinced myself there was no need to be afraid. He had after all told me previously that he was going to want to see me later in the evening. He was my uncle. He had saved my life. There it was, he saved my life, my mantra all over again. But as always, I listened to it, he saved my life, he saved my life, and I ignored my gut, those instinct that were practically screaming at me to run! Or at the very least rethink my situation.

Did I listen? Do we ever? We get so comfortable and then we don't question anything. So… no, I guess that's the real answer.

Stupid creature that I am.

I got up, and once again I wove my way around the bodies in the crowds to leave the party. This time, purely because I had Chrissi with me, I wasn't stopped by anyone, though there were acknowledgements and smiles as I went by. Apparently official business expressions could be read by others of the same profession very easily. Didn't mean that I was beginning to feel my throat close up like I was being pushed into a tiny, dark, small corner. I needed to be far away from there. I had to be! Instead, I controlled my legs, my breathing and focused, he saved my life, he's my uncle and he saved my life, I am safe, he saved my life.

We left the room, clearly Bulldog had been given the go ahead for a cigarette break as there was no one on guard. Even in my slightly panicked state of confusion and worry I could not help but grin to myself. Which reminded me of the Doctor, which reminded me of his accusations, which spurred on my gut, which made my mantra sound even louder! HE SAVED MY LIFE!

I could see the route I had taken earlier in the evening. Straight ahead across the marble lobby and turn right towards the employees' lift, down into that dungeon nightmare... where my shoes still resided.

This time we walked straight, our shoes making soft thumps against the stone floor, then turned left to go up a short, opulent marble stair case with gold banisters towards the luxurious conference room.

I'd been in there before, never for very long, but it had happened. As such, why I was being personally invited made me nervous, excited and curious. (He saved my life) Did uncle Ricky want me to help with the project? (He saved my life) Was there something I needed my colleagues to keep away from? (HE saved MY life) Even then, would he want me to come and see him so privately if it was only about that? (HE SAVED MY LIFE!)

As always, questions were swarming my mind, so it wasn't till I walked into Chrissi's shoulder and stumbled backwards did I really pay attention to what was happening around me. We were at the doors and he was knocking.

"Come in, Zizi," came Ricky's voice. The fact that he had only called my name meant Chrissi wasn't welcome in at that point in time.

I glanced at him. This had never happened before. I always faced him with one of the cousins, nothing was kept really all that separate. Chrissi looked unsure too, clearly also not sure of how to react, yet, as always, he forced himself into a cheery grin, that while it wasn't entirely faked, it wasn't full of the joy his mouth tried to portray. It was his honest eyes that gave him away. Poor Chrissi… if you knew what to look for, those big brown eyes always failed him. Even if I could see through him, I drew strength from the reassurance he was trying to give me.

"Let me know how it goes," he said cheerfully. But he kissed my forehead and squeezed my hand. Clearly uncle Ricky had been acting strangely, making him nervous.

I had to convince myself that it was all in my had. I had to. That was the only thing that made sense to me.

I still question myself, especially with Chrissi's reactions to what was happening, why didn't I turn away then, go running back to the Doctor, tell him I could see what he meant and work with him to stop this.

I don't have an answer, don't really think I'll come up with one. There is still of coarse the question… would things have ended differently if I had done that? Then of coarse that's a question of a butterfly effect and so forth. And really… I don't need to set Doccy sir off on a rant about cause, effect and quantum physics in relation to time travel. The very idea of the TARDIS is still doing my head in.

Again… getting well ahead of myself.

Chrissi pushed down the handle and opened the door, just a fraction. I slipped in through the gap and shut the door tightly behind me. In doing so,I looked up, I could feel my jaw drop without really meaning to.

You have to understand, this room has always been somewhat awe inspiring. High white ceilings, spacious like a dance hall, richly carpeted with a deep red, and a chandelier at the center that would have over hung a hole in a round table that could be adjusted for any size party (almost, big parties weren't as bigger issue as smaller parties), but was still made of pretty hefty wood and beautifully, though simply, carved chairs. The table and chairs were no longer there, and the bottom of the chandelier was resting on top of the machine. The life size version of that tiny little model that we had been shown previously. It was huge. The Chandelier had almost all of it's weight taken by it, but it was slender, with what was clearly an engine and a computer panel and screen to one side. But what was different was that around the front of this… this contraption was a seat, attached to which were electrodes that would attach to someone, apparently to their head and arms, and constraints for the waist and wrists. It looked to me a little like a sophisticated electric chair.

With that thought my feet seemed to move on their own accord… backwards, away from what my eyes were locked on. Only to have my back make contact with the door, quite noisily and my jaw snap shut.

"Zizi! Bamini!" my uncle announced. His voice… as ever, on hearing his voice I stepped foreword, comforted, feeling far more at ease. This was my uncle. He saved my life. I was so silly to have been second guessing him or his motives!

I found him smiling, his arms open wide in greeting, I had to hold myself back from running into his protective arms. So instead I stepped towards him, he encircled me within his arms, and over his shoulder I finally noticed that behind him were his two scientists. They were busily looking after the machine, checking things, calibrating things, apparently making sure everything was in good working order.

Again, another pointer. My gut, my brain, all the parts of me that were logical, rational, was telling me that I was quickly getting to the point of no return. If I didn't leave soon, there would be no going back.

I didn't leave. I stayed, with his arm around me as he spoke.

He SAVED my LIFE.

"Zizi, I know you must be very confused about all of this." I nodded silently. "So am I little, the technology a little beyond even my understanding." He winked at me, mocking himself a little, almost saying that much was beyond his capacity to understand. Sometimes he japes were just stupid, he was a far more intelligent man than he ever admitted to, "but there is one thing I do understand; we need your help for this."

He flamboyantly flung his arm out to present the machine he had apparently worked so hard to get up and running, the machine that would help make life easier for all involved. This diviner. And I had to help them work it?

"In fact… we are pretty sure you are the only one who can help us."

I frowned. That gut feeling was making me more and more nervous. Only me? There was very little… if anything that was special about me! But I stayed. To hear what was to be said… and he saved my life.

"But… uncle Ricky, why me? What can I do? I'm not exactly that special?"

I heard laughter. High pitched, unpleasant, reminded me a little too much of nails on a chalk board. I turned my attention to the sound. It was the scientists. Well… one of them.

"Not that special?" it was the female, Preston was the same she gave. I still felt it to be a lie, I knew it to be a lie, and her tone of voice made me feel like an idiot. I have to be honest, that's what pissed me off more than almost anything else, I know it sounds better, but patronising people are a bit of a peeve of mine. "Marinetti, does she really not know anything?"

He shrugged, "I thought it would be far too dangerous to tell her, she was so fragile, and I didn't know what would set her off. With you here it now seems to be the right time."

The exchange was so casual. It wasn't one that was between employer and employee, it was one between equals, those who saw one another as partners in a form of conspiracy. I could feel the deception in the room, something was very wrong.

"I suppose," she glanced at her male counter part, he simply looked back at her stoically, very different to the man I had met after uncle Ricky's speech, "she did come across us prematurely," she admitted, muttering, speaking more to herself, and perhaps her partner, but certainly not meant for other ears, clearly underestimating my own ability to hear them, "so this won't be too much of a shock."

I had well and truly had enough. I scowled, almost childishly. "All right- what is this? What the hell is going on?" I almost demanded to know where the camera was, which show was filming, you know, those prank shows, something along those lines. I was irritated would be the best description. And still shaking, ignoring the parts of me that told me to flee.

That didn't last long. I swear to you, I blinked, just blinked, in that moment… in the place of those, mostly, normal looking human scientists I was looking at those giant, iridescent black buggalow creature. They were looking at me, arms crossed, those enlarged cheeks morphed into an ugly attempt at a smile, and not about about to launch an attack on me. I could still feel the blood lust coming off them. Stunned and shocked, I fell back, to the floor, staring up at them wide eyed, my finger digging into that luxurious carpet, knuckled turning white, unable to do much more than stare. Running wasn't an option, we had gone beyond my fight or flight reaction due to my… well lets say my surprise.

Then, then panic fled from my mind, and robotic logic returned, I had to find a way out of here, without making it took obvious. In fact I had to find a way to get two of us out of here. Then it struck me, what was uncle Ricking doing in all of this.

I looked over at him, slowly, he was very casually examining his watch, looking annoyed with it. No more violent emotions than that. Then he looked up at the buggalows, and looked annoyed with them, as though the whole thing was just an irritation on his skin, nothing more!

"Will you keep those disguises on? This form can be very disarming, we don't want her panicking too much."

I looked at him, I knew my skin was white, with fear and anger. What was he doing communicating with them so casually? Was the Doctor right about my uncle? How he could he be? There had be a better explanation! There just had to be! I almost couldn't breath.

"But we are just so much more comfortable like this!" the woman said, quite happily. That voice hurt my ears.

He shook his head, tiredly, it reminded me of when he was dealing with one of his more difficult brothers, then he turned to me, and knelt beside me. He reached out and took one of my white knuckled hands in his, and held it tightly. He knew better than try and embrace me when I was scared, and this was when I was utterly terrified.

"I know this is shocking, Zizi," he voice was calm, soothing, but measured, I could sense it. At the same time… he was always like that, at least that was what I told myself, "but you have to listen to me. Their appearances are deceiving-"

"They were-"

"I don't mean their disguises, that is so they can fit in with us, honestly they're here to help us. Help humanity."

I slowed my breathing down, back to a more normal pace. I swallowed, hard, not taking my eyes off the bugglows. My hand in his relaxed a little, the one on the floor clenched further. The divide in my mind to what my instincts were telling me and what I wanted to believe were getting stronger.

"Why?" was all that could come out of my mouth.

"Because they feel that humanity needs just a little push in the right direction. To help them join the rest of the galaxy, the rest of the universe! Which will help bring peace and prosperity to our world. And they've seen the effects of joining the galaxy, so they believe it's time for humans to get a nudge to help them foreword faster."

I took in what he said, slowly. Then the mantra came back, he saved my life, he's my uncle and he saved my life. So what did I have to be afraid of? I trusted what he said, and got to my feet, ignoring that feeling that there was deception in the room and my gut telling me to run as fast as I possibly could.

"Ok…" I found myself saying slowly, not even really aware that I was saying it, "ok, then why me? What can do that can help?"

I forced myself to over look that unmistakable look of self satisfaction on the buggalow faces. It's an expression that transcends race, culture, time… species… The chills were back, I forced myself to suppress the shivers that were running up and down my back, and assume a less threatened position of sitting on the floor with my arms around my legs as I looked up at them. And I listened to what they said.

"Now," the male one spoke, his voice was lower in pitch, his tone was flat, but it still sounded dehydrated and scratchy. How they could speak to us in our tongue was a little beyond me, their mouths seemed to struggle to make the same shapes and sounds as ours… and these voices were so different from their human voices. I vaguely wandered at their technology, but was soon distracted by what they were saying to me. "we can't tell you why you can do this… we don't know enough about you yet."

"Why-"

"We're still looking into it," uncle Ricky promised me, his hand on my shoulder, coaxing me into standing up again, "but we do know what you can do."

"From our research," the female spoke now, I had to stop the urge to cover my ears, I could not get over how much her voice put me through so much pain. But I listened. I couldn't stop really. "we've figured that you have the ability to manipulate time and space."

I looked at them blankly. I got to my feet slowly, trying to stop myself from swaying. I still couldn't get over my fear of them, I had to force my trust in my uncle. He saved my life.

All I could say was, "what, like the Japanese dude out of… what's it called? Heroes?"

I looked back at these blank faces. My statement hadn't really made much sense to these creatures, or even my uncle. Really I should have expected this…

As a result I flushed red. "Never mind…" I mumbled into my chest, trying to cover my embarrassment.

"This means that you have the ability to go where ever, when ever you want."

I just stared at her. "You're fucking with me," I never swore in front of my uncles, but that was all I could muster. That just didn't sound realistic.

"It's true," uncle Ricky took over, "from what we could deduce, with the research we were able to do, combined with my own search of your past, what little there was for me to find, you seem to have simply…" he paused to search for the right word, then he seemed to give up, "appeared near to where I picked you up. Combined with your inability to speak in a language that was coherent to any of us… we think your memory loss is a result of an early attempt to use your powers. The shock must of cause trauma to your mind and resulted in you being unable to remember your past."

It seemed fairly logical… it explained the lack of information there was about me… how I could have come from no where, in such distress and in such confusion. I still felt there was something that was being kept from me.

"So," the female took over again, I tried to suppress a wince, without much luck might I add, "while we don't know where or even when you're from just yet… I'm sure we'll be able to find out soon enough." There was another pause. "In the mean time…" her eyes flicked towards the machine, as if unable to say what she wanted to.

So the male took over, "we were hoping you could help us work The Diviner. With your ability we're sure that you'll give the machine the boost it needs. Just enough to help it get started. I mean… we're not sure if it'll even work, or if it'll work without you, but there's no way to know unless we try it…"

I don't know how he managed it with that voice, but he managed to sound apologetic about the whole matter, even his strange face, with those elongated cheeks and too many teeth… it looked almost painful to him to make the expression.

At the same time, I felt almost sick with the amount of deception was was in the room, and I couldn't tell where it was coming from or where it was directed any more. I could tell there were lies, but what lies were there, were completely beyond me at that point. It was as though I was being baffled purposefully with what were truths and what were lies.

My instincts were still telling- no screaming me to get out of there… at the same time I knew it had gone beyond that. I had made my bed I had to lie in it… see where this path took me. Regardless of the out come.

Still I wavered. I looked at uncle Ricky, I just needed his comfort. After all- he saved my life.

He sighed, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, holding me tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "To be honest, Zarmina," he said gently, he used my full name, he never used that name. He had given me the nick name Zizi, and that was the name he used for me, everywhere. This was important to him, I knew that much, "this idea of what you could do came about a while ago." I felt my head snap up to look at him. Shocked. How could he have kept this from me? "Remember when we took you to the hypo-therapist?"

I nodded, just keeping my head at all these secrets kept from me about, I always hated the idea that people knew more about me that I did, so the idea of this man who I trusted was one. I had to keep cool, remembering that he did things best for me. Yes… I nodded, I knew it had happened, I remember going to the appointment, but what actually took place I have no idea, only that the therapist had looked positively white as he dismissed me from the session. That and the therapist has since gone missing so I could never really find out from him.

"Some of it came out then, we didn't get much of your past, but what you were describing that was happening to you, was like nothing I had ever heard. It was a place and a time I had never heard of. I had hoped that the session had been able to jog your memories even if you hadn't expressed them to us." He heaved a sigh, shaking his head, pressing his forehead to the crown of my own head. "It became apparent very quickly that it hadn't happened that way." He turned me to face, him, his hands on my shoulders, making me look him in the eyes, they were pretty powerful, and held my gaze so easily, "I'm sorry to have kept this from you, you have to know that, I am truly very sorry. At the same time you should know that you were still so fragile, just starting your job, getting your confidence and independence. I couldn't take that away from you, not when you were becoming your own person in the only place you called home. So I figured… I figured it would be best to let you get stronger before I told you any of this."

I studied him. Watched his eyes, that were studying my own lumious green, as though he were trying discern my own mind. Through the thick cloud of lies in the room, I nodded. Yes, this was a truth. This at least was. But only this. Coming from my uncle that meant much more than anything else that had come up.

I still had my doubts, and they were very strong doubts. My instincts were still screaming. My mantra was still trying to cover it, getting louder and louder until that was all I could sense, beyond the lies, half truths, focusing only on the truth that uncle Ricky had given me.

His eyes, those big, wise, cheeky brown eyes that were probing my own intent made up my mind for me. I took a breath, and nodded slowly, then said before anything could stop it:

"All right."

He saved my life.

"I'll do it."

He saved my life.

I could feel the relief and joy in the room, it cut through the clouds of deception quickly, almost to the point where I couldn't sense them any more. They looked pleased, grinning at me as uncle Ricky lead me to the chair and helped me sit down. The anticipation was building around me. At the same time, I did notice that they were no longer looking me directly in my eyes. It wasn't quite that they weren't trying to confuse or confound me, but they were busy. The Thentas were the one's settling me into the chair, first tying my hands down into the straps, that did not escape my attention, then my ankles. While Uncle Ricky was at the computer panel, looking excited, his attention was no longer on me.

My stomach dropped and my blood started to feel cold.

But he saved my life.

I sat back, and I closed my eyes so I didn't have to see what they were doing, I was too frightened to be faced with the reality of what was happening. Instead I used my other senses, what was taking over mostly was the feeling of them linking up mind, what made me 'me' to the machine. I breathed in deeply. I was terrified.

He saved my life.

This was for uncle Ricky. The man who took me in, gave me a home, helped me fit into this reality who only wanted the best for me.

This was the only thing he had ever asked of me, the whole time he knew me. He gave me everything.

He saved my life.

He saved… he…

As that thought, my mantra, tried to penetrate it's way through my mind, to comfort me, hide me from what was happening, I felt something fall with a heavy thud into place, as though it should have been there the whole time.

I was no longer in that room. My senses were overwhelmed with smells, textures and images that I could only just decipher.

And my mouth opened as a scream ripped from the depths of my very being.


	6. Memoirs Of A Damaged Soul

A/N:Quick update this time. Not really going to happen that often, but I was inspired. Not sure where it came from, but I shall endevour to find out where! I liked it! Thank you Miri, I'm glad you liked it, I was really nervous about that chapter. Your inquiries shall be answered… no promises about how soon though!

Chapter 6

Memoirs Of A Damaged Soul

Those images washed over me thick and fast, engulfing me in each and everyone like a wave, only for a moment before thrusting me into the next one. I felt sick and dizzy as I watched these pass over me; every sense that I was aware of was immersed in each and every image that passed over me. Even senses I didn't even know I had. I felt like I had become just a blur of energy zipping through different realities, viewing snippets of different parts of different universes. I don't remember any of those, now they're just blurs of a distant dream.

But all too soon those images slowed down enough for me to be able to tell the differences between them. Then finally it got to the point where they had slowed down… down to a complete stop.

At first it was as though I was too afraid to open my eyes. Though sight seems to be the least useful of senses at times. At the tip of my tongue I could taste the remnants of a sweet I had just swallowed, it tasted like peace juice and sugar, with a touch of artificial sourness. I could smell the stale smell of smoke lingering in the air, pollution beyond that, but nearer still, dinner on the stove. It smelled like my mother had cooked roast chicken with a variety of vegetables. Maybe we were having guests. I could feel the grass beneath my uncovered legs, a small flower twirling between my fingers. Finally I could hear the sound of cars beyond the garden wall, my little brother talking to me about a book he wanted to read, well… wanted me to read, he was still learning. The sound of the little grunts my little sister was making as she focused all her attention on something before her.

Finally my eyes opened. Before me were two little people, my little brother and sister. I knew that's who they were instinctively. My present self watched on in awe through the eyes of my past self who reacted the same way I had back then.

My little brother was looking up at me with a big smile on his face as I promised him I would read him that book, it was just the same as mine! I'd recognise it any where, it just looked so much cuter on such a small person. He looked so much like me. His eyes were much yellower than mine were and his hair was much fairer, but those eyes were still luminous and that hair was still patchwork like his big sister's.

I turned to look at my little sister and ask her what she was making. She didn't really answer me, she was too busy trying to construct something out of bricks, dolls and grass. It would be an impressive little structure when it was finished, but soon forgotten about and knocked over when something else took her fancy. That look of concentration on her face, a scowl between the eyebrows, a pout of the lower lip, and the occasional growl from deep at the back of the throat, it was identical to what I would do even now when I was concentrating very hard.

My little sister looked very much like me, almost identical luminous green eyes with a tinge of yellow and patchwork, almost tabby like hair, though hers was much softer and maybe a shade darker.

Her frustration was funny to me. I looked up at my father who was sitting on his chair, with a drink in one hand and a tablet in the other, his eyes following what was written there. Almost as if he sensed his oldest looking up at him, his eyes left the tablet before him. He was a handsome man, tall, long limbed, dressed in jeans and a shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his black hair was long, falling in his face as he impatiently pushed it away, clearly he was in need of a hair cut, but like me was a little too lazy to actually go and do it. His deep, brown eyes were already glinting with mischief, surrounded my lines of joy, his full mouth had lines of stress, happiness and anger already forming. He was a man who truly felt everything. His chiseled jaw line was beginning to show wear and tear of getting older, with about a day's worth of stubble across his strong chin, proving him to be as lazy as I suspected him to be.

As I watched him, he quietly put his tablet and long glass of juice down. I could feel my child's mind thinking 'what's dad up to now…' On all fours, he crawled across the green grass towards us, looking very pleased with himself. Above him I could see the blue skies, tinged a little with purple, that I could only assume was the population that hung in the air permanently. Even my child self was irritated with it.

The next thing I knew, my father had pounced on my little sister, with a loud roar! Knocking her side ways, engulfing her in a bear hug, as she squealed in indigence that her little construction had been knocked side ways, ruining any chance of continuing with her project. Angrily, she turned on our father and attacked him with her little fists, making generally accepted sounds of annoyance that could not be mistaken for anything else.

My long limbed parent just laughed at her attempts. My little brother shrieked with pleasure as I felt my laughter deep in my being, a smile across my face, bigger than I ever remember being able to do even recently. It was comical watching the small girl trying to beat her much larger father into submission, growling deep in the back of her throat, like I still do when frustrated.

Still watching the proceedings, I heard my name being called from inside the house. I recognised it immediately as my mother's voice. It was deep for a woman's, musical without being tuneful, and full of every emotion she was feeling at the moment the sound left her mouth.

I looked up, see find out what she wanted. Before I could catch sight of her, I was pulled from that memory, yanked from the loving arms of my family. Without thinking, I thrust my arms out ahead of me, as if trying to pull myself back into that wonderfully happy, comforting and calm environment.

I almost couldn't believe that had been my life at one point in my past. I knew those people there! My little studious sister even then, my excitable little brother, mischievous playful father and my loving mother. I didn't have to have seen her to know that about her.

That was my family, my real family, who loved me.

Then I was pulled into the next memory, yanked from a feeling of weightlessness, to a feeling of terror, hatred and anguished love. My eyes were closed, as if I didn't want to be faced with the reality of what was happening to me… no, not just me. To us. I could feel the bodies of my little siblings pressed against my kneeling body, my arms wrapped around their bodies, hands in their hair, holding them tightly, as close to me as I possible could. It was as though if I held them to me tightly enough I could hide them from the reality of what was going on. They were shaking, trying not to sob too loudly, all the same I could hear their sniffles close to my ears.

I could feel gravel beneath my knees, stones digging painfully into my knees. My body was cold from behind, freezing, almost to the point of shivering uncontrollably. At the same time I could feel the heat of an inferno assaulting my front, sweat beading on my forehead and naked arms. As the wind blew, I could feel my face was damp.

I finally opened my eyes after what felt like centuries. My sight was blurred with tears, softening the terrible view before, like an early talking movie trying to show a tender moment between lovers.

Before me I could see my home. Ablaze. Pumping black smoke into the atmosphere, adding to the pollution already there, flames licking it's way up the walls, roaring like an angry beast hell bent on revenge against an enemy within the walls of my destroyed home. Those flames consuming everything we knew with an aggressive heat that I never knew could exist in this life. The windows had burst outwards, glass littering the once tidy front lawn, the black gaps it revealed were like haunted eyes in the already black burned bricks and mortar that made up my happy home. Already showing a physical destruction we siblings were already feeling, crumbling into an abyss.

Around me there were shouts as people tried to put the fire out, calling for water, foam, anything. Calling for people who may be affected by this terror.

But I couldn't see them. All I could see was our lives falling apart.

I kept trying to suppress my fear and anguish, to be strong for my family. All my family.

And with that thought, I came to a realisation. My father and mother were not coming out of that house. Not any more. No one was.

Behind me someone tried to talk to us, I sensed a comforting hand coming towards us, but I could hide my emotions any more. My mouth opened, and without really knowing what I was doing, I screamed.

For love, for fear, for help… for God!

Again I was pulled from that memory, almost faster than the previous one. I was not sorry to see that memory go. I had never felt like that before. I could feel my heart physically aching, even in this bizarre limbo, with indescribable grief. I wanted to tear my heart out, just to stop that feeling. Even if it resulted in my death… anything was better than that awfulness for even a moment longer.

Before I knew it, I was in another memory. This time the atmosphere was much calmer, but for myself. I was on my own, I could feel that I didn't know where my siblings were, and I was still worried for them, even if it had been like that for a while. I was gnawing at my bottom lip, like I still do when furious and trying to keep my tongue and, glaring at the floor, examining the cracks in the pavement, knowing it was just outside a house. I could hear the calls of three other children in the house. I would have said playing, but I knew better than that. It was fighting again. The two women who were in charge of us, were standing behind me, and as always did nothing about it. They didn't seem to care. No, they really didn't care.

Before me were men in suits, I could see the pants, black socks and shiny black shoes, it had gotten to the point where I had been staring at them for so long, I could see every scuff mark and scratch from past wear and tear on them.

"I don't know why you want her," said one woman, she sounded middle aged, speaking through her nose as if trying to sound of a higher class than she was, clearly looking down her nose at life like she always did, "she's completely useless, never bothers to help anyone."

I felt my fists curl at my sides, those lies. They had been getting steadily worse. This one still felt like the worse one yet.

"All too true," agreed her partner, a little younger, with a much shorter fuse and a penchant for threatening to lock children in cupboards, though her voice sounded as though she had once been a singer. "Even when she does get up to do something, it's never what needs to be done. She's completely impossible. Won't socialise with other people, seems to think she's better than us."

The 'impossible' comment had almost been a compliment, so I smiled to myself. At the same time, I did feel somewhat justified in telling myself, 'that's because I am' at her last sentence.

"I understand," said one man, I finally looked up, looking at the men who were about to take me away. No longer in care, this was something else completely. There were three: all dressed in the same blue black suit, white shirts, though the black, bald man wore a blue tie, and they all wore sun glasses.

One was clearly an Indian man, much shorter than his black and white counter parts, standing with his hands locked behind his back, his full mouth set in a straight line.

The blonde white man, had a hand in his pocket, the other looking poised to use his badly concealed weapon, and a smirk plastered all over his face.

The bald black man, clearly the man in charge, stood a little to the front of his colleagues, speaking to my temporary guardians. He spoke with a deep soothing voice. At the same time I could sense a deeper agitation and violence.

"But," he continued, "we believe she is precisely what we're looking for. She had demonstrated the required attributes."

The first woman shrugged and sniffed. "It's your choice, sir, just don't send her back to me."

It was almost to the point of my lip bleeding, but I kept my mouth shut.

Then I felt a solid push against the middle of my back towards these strange men.

"Go on then dear," the second woman spoke, as if I hadn't been there listening to their slanderous words against me, "you'll be happier with them. More like you."

Somehow my childish self knew what they meant, but my present self was simply baffled.

The black man's big hand came towards me, and tried to grab my shoulder. I looked up at him coldly, and shook him off, turning slowly, deliberately, towards those two crones.

I studied them, taking in their features. The older woman was bottle blonde, her darker roots were showing through, her eyes were small and watery blue, her nose seemed over sized to me, and her mouth was a tight line of judgement. Her partner, I think she was South Indian, much shorter, darker, with black hair, but an expression of spite that could make milk curdle across her still somewhat beautiful broad features.

I knew my entire being was looking at them in disgust, then even seemed to shift uncomfortably under my stare. Then, with a movement of pure malice and hatred for the pair, and spat at them, the glob of saliva landing at their feet, almost causing them to leap backwards.

I opened my mouth to say something, to tell them exactly what they thought-

And again I was pulled away from that reality of my past. I was still furious, that hatred still coursed through my body. Those bastard, bitches of women. How they had been able to look after children was beyond me! My present self had no idea of what they had done, but the resonances of what my past self had felt towards them, was not simply for that moment in time. There had been a past and it was a bad one. My heart was aching again, but this time it was due to the purest, most unadulterated hare I had ever felt for another human being… again, something I never realised I was capable of. Apparently I was wrong.

The fury from that memory remained for the next memory to invade my mind.

This one was far more instinctual. I'm not sure how long I had been there, but I didn't need to look around to know where I was and what was around me. Even the younger version of myself was going through it in my mind. I was standing in the middle of a highly walled play ground, the walls felt as though they stretched for hundreds of miles above our heads, topped with barbed wire, just to make sure we couldn't leave. Around the perimeter there were guards, armed with guns and tasers, to threaten us and keep us from even considering escape.

The play ground itself was designed to accommodate a few hundred children, though rarely in one go, of almost any age. There were painted games on the floor, things taken from the past that few normal children would play. Benches to sit on, tables to eat at during the summer, designated smoking areas for the older people there, even that was a novelty. There were designated spaces to play football, basketball, net ball, even tennis if you were willing to play against the wall like squash.

The walls were covered in murals from the people who had been there, past and present, people very rarely painted over those of the past, instead it seemed to be the practice to add to them. It sort of provided a quiet solidarity between us all.

All the same… solidarity didn't always mean peace. All around me were people, of all ages, we were all dress the same: a white tracksuit, edged in black. All boundaries of race and class had been stripped away yes, but all concept of identity, difference and freedom had been taken away with the simple act of being forced into these uncomfortable garments. They were a constant reminder that we weren't here by choice… we had effectively been taken and forced into imprisonment for something we didn't know we had done.

As prisoners, we still made certain allegiances to one another when such things as this happened. It helped us keep the idea that we were still individual people if we still kept the idea that we could indeed chose whose side we wanted to.

The boy before me, a stocky boy, with such dirty blonde hair it looked almost mousey brown, with the darkest eyes I had ever seen on a person, and a very nasty smile, was certainly not one I would align myself to.

All around me the others were cat calling, demanding a fight, jeering, name calling, the same process every time, just before a fight broke out. I used to expect the guards to break it up, they never did. It became a sort of monitored war of the jungle with us.

I studied the boy before me, this younger than me had already spotted many of his weaknesses, but even present day me could see his biggest flaw; everyone expected him to win, so their confidence in him had made him cocky… and cockiness was going to be his downfall. I didn't blame them, he had been there longer than I had, I had refused to engage in any sort of fights, he had more experience than us, besides I was just a skinny little girl.

At least that was the impression they had of me. Apparently I had learned from moving from home to home after the fire, it was better to remain out of fights and unknown.

My younger self heaved a sigh as I waved good bye to that prospect. I looked at him, growled in the back of my throat, and faster than he seemed to think I could move, and with no sound, no warning, nothing, I lunged at him, pushing my shoulder into his gut and winding him hard. He reeled back, looking stunned, trying to gasp his breath back. I smirked at the quiet that be felled the group around us.

I didn't wait, he had wanted the fight, nothing was said about fight fair. I lunged at him again, he tried to move out of the way, which only sent him flying to the floor, he was too dizzy from lack of oxygen to be any more effective. I just smiled again, nastily, he had just ended up where I needed him. I leapt at him, and pinned one of his arms against his body with my leg, the foot wrapped around his upper thigh, both threatening what gendered him and keeping a check on where his legs would go, his other elbow, was being crushed by my foot. I raised a fist, and punched down wards against his face, stunning him again, almost knocking him out. I stuck him again, but as I raised my fist to hit him again, I felt someone grab my wrist. I spun, positively hissing at the intruder. This only gave the fair haired boy time to back away from me pinning him to the floor. I became aware that all around me, the people who had gathered were actually cheering me on! Some were yelling insults, claiming I had played dirty. While the white coats, the men who 'looked after' us, tried to break up the fight, pull the group apart.

I looked at the man who had grabbed me, his face was covered but I could see in his grey eyes that he was scared of me, then looked back at the one who had challenged me. I scowled at him, baring my teeth in a snarl. He went white, as he wiped blood from his eye. I made a movement towards him, only to scare him, he jumped and tried to scuttle away. Even before I could see him moving away from me, the white coats had surrounded me, grabbed my arms and were pulling me away from the play ground.

Worry began to creep into my mind, and adrenaline still pumped through my veins. I tried to pull myself free, growling, hissing, snarled, even spitting at them. To no avail.

At that point I was pulled from that memory too, and even then I could feel the young, immature feeling of complete self satisfaction. I had won that fight. Stupid boy… never underestimate an opponent you challenge. Honestly… sometimes you never grow up. Not really.

The next memory I entered I was almost literally dropped into a memory. I was sitting with people I genuinely liked. There were seven of us, four boys and two other girls. All of us ranging in race, hair colour, eye colour, age, length of stay in that prison. Regardless, I could sense we all liked one another immensely.

We were sat in a giant hall. It was full of other people, there were sounds of laughter, happiness, arguing, discussion, annoyance from people from across all spectrums you could imagine. It was a canteen, I could smell cooking wafting from the kitchens, that was actually quite a nice smell. Even my vague past recollection of the food had always been pleasant, possibly the only plus side to the place were in.

The hall was giant! High walls, high ceilings and high windows, but very big windows, letting in a vast quantity of natural light.

Before the seven of us, our plates of food were only half finished but lay forgotten about as we all laughed positively hysterically at a comment one of the girls had made about one of the teachers. Ot had been witty, bright, utterly hilarious and far too true for comfort.

Even as I laughed, even as I felt quite pure happiness, with a broad smile stretched across my face, content as that moment was for me… I felt a pang deep inside myself. I missed my siblings. I kept feeling that if they were there with me I could have coped better. I wanted them back.

Then, I felt the smile slowly slip from my face, and I was pulled from that memory too. The pulling had been faster than the previous one. I still had that smile, only this time because my present self realised how lucky I had been because even in that place I could feel some happiness. But that memory disappeared quickly.

My next memory was fraught with anguish, anger and horror. I was fighting against the white coats, hands out scratching, elbowing, kneeing, kicking, spitting, scratching, pulling, biting- everything I possibly could to get away from them! Or at least get away from the chair they were trying to force me into. I wasn't going to do it!

I fought hard, and long, I don't even know how long! Then, I felt metal clasp over my left wrist. I flopped, against the chair, as though I had run out of life. The moment I had felt the cold of the metal… I knew I had lost. All my past self could think as I felt them lock me into the chair was 'even if they won this one… I have to conserve my energy'.

Again I was yanked from that memory, much faster than I had expected, it wasn't that the memory lengths were getting shorter, or were even that even, but the transitions between them were getting faster. Before I could even query what I was saving my energy for, I was pulled into the next memory.

I was lying in an uncomfortable flat bed. It had a thin, flat pillow where the right side of my head rested. I knew there was a thin, scratchy sheet to cover myself with at the bottom of my bed, I couldn't reach it, I was curled up in the middle of the mattress.

The walls of the cell were pure white, sterile, the only things of colour were the black cameras that were high up in the corners monitoring me. I knew they were there. The walls were high, holding what felt like an impossibly high ceiling above me. Near to the ceiling was a window. It was glass, and was a little ajar, with no bars across it. It was far too high for any normal person to reach. But I heard no sound coming in from the outside, so I suspected that it wasn't natural light. That made things seem worse, that I wasn't even allowed to see the light of the sun.

My cheeks were wet, but my mouth was dry, and still my jaw was open. I was sobbing and screaming. Screaming like I was being flayed alive with no chance for it to stop, not by mercy, not by death and not in any form of foreseeable future. Screaming beyond the point of my throat feeling raw, I almost could have sworn that I could cough up blood.

My whole body hurt, I was in agony. It was so deep within me that I couldn't pin point it, or even claim that it covered my entirety. It was both and neither. I kept clutching at myself, trying to get to it, trying to rip what ever was causing it from me, to stop it! To, depressingly predictably, no avail. My skin all over my body was cover in self inflicted, distressed scratches, my throat in shreds with my screams of agony, and absolutely no end in sight.

I was beyond relieved to have been pulled from that memory. My throat still felt a little tender that feeling that been so violent. I almost reached out to touched, and I was pulled into my next memory.

I was walking, dragging my feet really. Being marched through sterile, greenish white, halls that smelled of disinfectant. The journey seemed to be one oft traveled by myself. I wasn't bothering to look where I was going, I was gazing at the floor, searching out imperfections, hate the utterly pure white that constantly surrounded me. Besides that I felt too weak to do anything more than walk and look, no fight back for me. I think I was still recovering from another bout of agony. At the same time I felt it wasn't the same as my previous memory… this was a later date.

Behind me I can hear talking, but already I'm being pulled away from this memory. I cling to this memory harder, I want to know what's being said. My present self can't hear them… but clearly my past self could. I feel my mouth curve into a pleased smirk. An idea idea chase it's way through my head, 'I'm getting the fuck outta here-"

But before the thought can fully complete itself, I loose the battle and I am pulled out of that memory. Without even a pause, no chance to process I am dumped into a new one.

This one is far scarier than anything I had seen before this. It wasn't my memory.

This time I didn't take a particular body. The only way I can think of describing it is that I had taken on the aspects of a third party observer, interacting with an interactive cinema of some sort, though significantly more complex and intricate. A third party observer of… not just this world, of reality as a whole! I could see everything in one go and focus on individual things at the same time Even then… I'm not really sure I can explain it. It was utterly surreal… like… a Dahli painting surreal.

I was seeing the future… a future. Not a too distant future either.

I could see me, still attached to this infernal machine. I was so weak, I was wasting away, I was almost completely skin and bone, I couldn't breath independently, couldn't move, I was barely alive any more.

I realised… the machine was completely draining me. It was using up all the energy inside of me. More than that… the reason that the Thentas had to have me attached to this thing was because of what I could do. The reason that I could manipulate space and time… it was synthetic, it wasn't something I had been born with. It meant I had more capacity to work the machine longer than any other person on earth. What ever ensured that I could do, was being slowly pulled from every cell in my body and used in this… machine.

Around me the world was in peril, the human race was dying! They couldn't survive in the world that the Thentas were trying to create. I could feel and hear every human crying out for help, for mercy even death, to get away from their pain! It wasn't just humans, I could feel the same agony from other animals, even plants. Some weren't dying, they were simply being forced into radical evolution to suit the Thentas.

All at the same time, more and more Thentas were coming to the world. To my world. Taking it over. As they made it suitable for them.

A growled angrily as the reason for the existence of this machine came clear to me. It was a kind of environment adaptor. Like what scientists were looking into in order to try and collonise worlds that would be hostile to humans, this thing was changing Earth, to be habitable for the Thentas.

They intended to drain what made me different and beyond that to destroy my home and live here unhindered and no longer under the control of a galactic government they felt was penalizing them unfairly.

Again. I screamed. I just opened my mouth and let rip. Screaming and screaming and screaming! My throat felt raw again, almost to the point of bleeding, and still I screamed.

I must have screamed myself back into reality, because the next thing I felt was a hard slap across my face, with a somewhat scaly hand. It ended up bruising me quite painfully, and I think if I had been any more awake or solid, I would have been knocked out by the force.

I longed to hear the voice of my uncle reprimand him, tell him to release me, that he didn't want to see me in pain.

Instead, he spoke calmly, casually, as though he were asking about a produce or a product, "steady on now, that's a bit much. We don't need to attack her just because she having a react-"

"It's just to shut her up," the male buggalow spoke, "people in that state just need a little reminding to calm down." I noticed then he was the one closest to me, I suspected the slap came from him. "She's being overloaded with information. It'll help slow it down."

The only source of comfort I could take from the exchange was that uncle Ricky was being lied to about what the machine did. At the same time, hurt is the best way to explain how I felt to hear that calm comfortable tone in his voice, but it will never reached the magnitude.

I didn't move again. I didn't scream. I did whimper, not a shamed to admit that. I was utterly terrified, I think whimpering was warranted. I was also mentally kicking myself. I had been so delusional… how could I have been so delusional?

"Doctor," I murmured through my half suppressed sobs, "Doctor I'm sorry… I'm… I'm so sorry… Doctor…"


	7. Strange Perspectives

A/N: While I'm pretty sure work should take precedence… I'd like to thank DoctorWhoey for take time out to read my work! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much,, you're review gave me a big of an ego boost. I hope this chapter is up to standard too!

Chapter 7

Strange Perspectives

Now I was clearly going in and out of consciousness at this point, as well as being stuck in that chair, so what I could see won't really add to the events of what truly happened. Now I will admit what I tell you next won't be the whole truth, though I don't really want to get into the existential problem of what is truth, how we can define truth and the problem with memory decay. Instead I will claim that this is as close to the truth as I'm going to be able to record. I've put together the accounts from Chrissi, Joanna and The Doctor, and extrapolated from that to find what actually happened. I will admit to taking a few liberties, partly due to the Doctor's tendency to be flippant with events after they happen, Joanna's habit of exaggerating events and Chrissi's attempt to make himself sound braver than he perhaps was (though I will admit this time I was breath taken by some of his actions).

It turns out that after I left him, the Doctor stood there for a moment, still stinging from the slap that was making my hand sting. He admitted to have underestimated my closeness to my uncle. Immediately he became agitated, pacing back and forth on the patio, occasionally looking up to see if he could see me, making sure I was still within sight.

He knew he was right about the danger I was in (still hate it when he's right), he still wasn't entirely certain of why he was right about this. The fact that they only followed to capture, no attempt to kill her, meant she was important to them. When someone was important to a hostile alien species there was rarely a good reason for it. That and there was something very wrong with the… what was it called? The Devisor? The Diviner? Fundamentally a future viewer. Or so they claimed, there was something wrong with it- something was missing from it. Or it was something worse than that. He couldn't jump to too many conclusions until he had seen it in the flesh.

Something else struck him as he glanced up again, finally catching sight of the slight woman sitting at the bar. There was something strange about her. He was pretty sure he knew what she was, but that didn't exactly help with her time zone, as it were, by that point she had assimilated too well into the time she had ended up in for him to be any where near the sort of time she may be in. Not only was he not completely sure how she got there, but there were little things about her that didn't make sense. Her senses were a little more heightened than someone of her heritage, just enough to make her unusual, but not weird. Her pulse was significantly faster than he had expected, after they had been running her had been a little worried her heart would have jumped from her chest. Finally the way she moved… it was as though she were subconsciously trying to hold herself back from doing… well something. Beyond that… he had more to learn.

Sitting outside pondering this, trying to link all the parts of this mystery together, he noticed that Christoforo had approached me and I was getting up to follow him. Following his nose, he immediately deduced that I was likely to be going somewhere he couldn't reach me. Personally I think he just didn't want to be left out on what was happening right under his nose.

He re-entered the hall, and slipped anonymously through the people around him. He was unknown so he wasn't about to be stopped for conversation.

His plan was scuppered by my well meaning, beloved cousin Joanna. Perhaps she wasn't always the most perceptive of people, though my standards may be a little to high, she wasn't moronic. Clearly the Doctor's voice was not as guarded as it normally was. She read the worry on his features like an open book, and then realised I wasn't with him. Because of her previous assumptions, I suppose her reactions weren't all the silly.

She bowed her head towards the person she was speaking to, likely to have been a politician or business man and their wife, excused herself very politely, and quickly followed the Doctor. She had always been better with guests at this sort of party than I was, I was always grateful to have her with me. Meant I almost never had to communicate with the people I could barely stand.

I don't know how she moved to deftly through the throngs of people, and caught up to him so fast, especially on those shoes, but she did, and grabbed his sleeve to get his attention.

"John," she said, in an sort of quick staccato.

Feeling the jerk on his arm and his pseudonym, he rounded and found himself looking at Joanna. He looked surprised, he had completely forgotten he had been introduced to her, now he was quietly annoyed about that. "Yes, Joanna… correct?"

She smiled at him politely, "yes. John… where's Zizi gone?"

The Doctor told me he ended up feeling split. He didn't want to be rude to Joji, he wanted to keep her safe but he also didn't want to loose where I was going, which is what he was doing fast with Joanna speaking to him. More than that, he found it a little difficult to lie to someone who was so naïvely innocent, a little oxymoronic considering the family she was born to.

"Uh…" he came up with something quickly, "she… she needed a break from all these people," he babbled, speaking quickly, "you know, with all these people here she tends to get flustered. For as long as I've known her she's always preferred time with her family or a small group of friends rather than large parties."

Joanna nodded, deciding that the Doctor had known me for a while, it sounded like a pretty accurate description. "I suppose."

"Could you excuse me? I'd like to make sure she doesn't get into a fight with one of the bouncers."

She agreed with him again and he sped off. Joanna told me that it took only a few seconds, but in that time she realised that he had spoke a little too quickly, and moved off at a speed that was certainly not just of someone checking on another. There was a desperation in all that he did that bothered her, and she didn't feel she could let it go. So she followed him, at a slower pace, able to see where he was headed.

The Doctor on the other hand was surprised he had gotten away with a vague description of what he had seen of me already, combined with the tendencies of someone like me. He didn't let that bother him as he unceremoniously pushed his way through the people in the giant room and out into the lobby.

But by then it was far too late. Chrissi and I had already entered the conference room. I think. Though I'm not sure, I was at about the point where the Thenta's revealed themselves as what they were to us… but I can't really be sure.

The Doctor mean while was flummoxed. He had no idea which way I could have gone and no real way of being about to figure out. He would have used his screwdriver, if he thought there was anyway to use it to track me. Instead… he tried using logic to think it through. The first thing that bothered him was the disappearance of the Thentas, where were they? Assuming they were with uncle Ricky, the room would have to be big. But near by… he was pretty certain their disguises were still deactivated from his own interference. More than that, he was sure it involved the machine, so it would have to be a room that could take the weight and size of how big the actual thing was. Which came to the question… what did uncle Ricky what with me?

He ended up pacing the lobby, alternating between going around in circles and going from one side to the other.

Joanna had reached the door by then, and was standing just outside it, grateful that the bouncers still hadn't returned yet. As a result she witnessed this cycle two or three times. She was somewhat confused about what he was doing exactly. She actually remembered physically shaking herself, almost muttering aloud to remind her that she wasn't here to stare at the eccentric, she was here to speak to him.

And at the same time, she was hesitant, questioning her reasons for wanting to speak to him, a complete stranger and yet she felt compelled to. And she was utterly unsure of how to start such a bizarre conversation.

Finally, she swallowed all embarrassment, and just coughed. Only just loud enough for him to be able to hear him, get his attention without being too obvious to anyone who may have been about.

The Doctor looked up, having to take a moment or two to focus on her, far too lost in his own thoughts to come to reality too quickly.

As he looked at her, without even realising it, he compared to her to a little girl, standing in the doorway to admit to a teacher that she had done something bad and was embarrassed by it. That was even with her very grown up, womanly shape, high heels and short fitted dress. She stood before him with her feet pressed firmly together, her hands were clasping and unclasping with her elbows pressed into her sides, her eyes fixed on the floor, or to the walls or ceilings- anywhere but looking at him.

"I- I really think I have to tell you something."

Slowly, steadily, he walked towards her. "Yes?" he said kindly. He needed her to speak, he needed that information and rushing her was going to get him there any faster, in fact it was likely to scare her off. He needed to coax it out of her, treat her like she was, a scared young woman.

Though to be honest, I could almost see him vibrating with the effort it took to halt all is insane energy he would let fly about him when he got excited, angry of even worried!

"I'm worried about Zizi," she admitted, quite suddenly, "uncle Ricky has been acting- completely weird! He doesn't even talk about Zizi like she's one of us any more… I thought at first it was because he was a little angry with her for showing him up… but it was only once or twice and she always apologised for it afterwards. And then he's never been one to hide his dislike for someone, and there he always treating her like his own. On top of that he's been getting more and more obsessed with this project. And I want to say I think he's being taken for a ride about this, so now I feel like this machine and Zizi are linked in some way. I don't like it! At all! I don't know why I'm telling you this… I just feel like… like you can help in some way."

Her words came tumbling from her lips, each falling faster and faster, the Doctor was only just able to follow what she was saying. When she finished, she was breathing heavily, trying to collect herself, and finding herself near tears.

"Joanna," he reached out and gently rested his hand on her shoulder, simply to give her comfort. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze for the first time since she had entered the lobby. It may not have been that long, but it felt an age for Joanna.

I do still want at what she saw in those eyes. If she saw the same insanity, adventure and care that I did, the same age old and timeless quality I still see. But when she spoke of that moment, she skipped over any details she felt. I know her well… so I'm pretty sure that she saw and felt the same things I do when I see his intensity, drowning in pools of the infinite recesses of time.

At the same time, I think the Doctor saw her for what she was, and rather than be brutal and blunt like I usually see him, he treated her like he would any family member involved in a crisis, sugar coat everything! Not necessarily lie… but coating was involved.

"Joanna, I need to get to the bottom of this too. I'm worried about Zizi too. And I'm more than happy to help you… but I want to know where she is."

Despite her worry for me, she still had her links to uncle Ricky, and she couldn't betray him. Not to a man who was a complete outsider. She looked away from him, suddenly embarrassed and tried to stammer out a reply.

Sheepishly, the Doctor admitted that he had in fact gripped her elbow tighter in his desperation to keep her cooperation, ducking his a little to trying to get her to meet his eyes again. Then remembered the nick name I used for her. "Joji," she looked straight at him, eyes wide and a little misty, he had her attention. "We both want to help her… so I need to know where she is so that we both can do that."

Still clearly hesitant, she told me later that she was still very apprehensive about what she was doing. Still unsure of why she had felt she needed to tell him anything, this bizzare, eccentric, strange… stranger!

Even so, she nodded, raised her chin, a little defiantly, as if proving to herself that she can do anything and she too has a right to know what was happening in the family. She indicated for him to follow her, and lead her towards the conference room where I had been lead several minutes previously.

Walking up those decadent stairs, they were almost at the floor where the conference room was, and they were faced with Chrissi. He can be an imposing figure when he's drawn himself up to his full height, already standing a step or two above the people he was trying to intimidate, his arms crossed, his eyes partly closed as he looked down on them, one eye brow raised in distain.

At the same time the Doctor told me he could detect some worry in his features, his fingers shook a little, Joanna coo-berated this while Chrissi denied it utterly. At the same time, with the sounds that were no doubt coming from the room, I'm more inclined to believe Joji and Doccy. Though he still seemed very determined to carry out his job set for him by his father, which ended up being trying to stop any one from getting anywhere near the conference room.

He glanced at the Doctor, then looked passed him, straight at Joanna, who flushed under his critical gaze.

"And who is this?" he snarled, the snarl more for the Doctor than her.

"He…" she swallowed hard, before continuing, "he's a friend of Zizi's." She didn't want to imply any more than that. Chrissi is very protective of his family, if he got the sense that Joanna had about the doccy and I then I doubt the story would go any further.

"Well," he lifted his head, looking down at the Doctor, "she's busy at the moment," there was a nasty curl to his lips, a very well practiced snarled, "social calls can come at a later date."

And that was when the Doctor bounced into action, took his chance to try his way of getting through. "Ah! But this isn't just a social call.! You see, you have to understand that I'm the Doctor. John Smith is how Joanna here knows me. Physicist, chemist, anthropology, sociologist, historian, some biologist is in there too, but it bores me somewhat so I try not to dabble in it too much. Zizi has added doctor of the mysterious and annoying to that list too- at least I'm pretty sure that's what she said, can never be too sure when she starts muttering. See! Here's my card." He flipped open a small leather pouch and used what I would later find out was known as psychic paper. In this case he was apparently showing a card with all his listed credentials (knowing his luck, included the one I added recently). He closed it again moments later, not long enough for anyone to read through it. "I would give you one, but it's my last one and I need a copy to get more copies for while I'm here. When I get more made I will make sure you get one. Now! As a man of many talents, if you will excuse my momentary immodesty, I would very much like to see this machine you're genius father has come up with, and Zizi did promise me an audience with your esteemed uncle. So if you don't mind I'd like to-"

The Doctor tried to step foreword, onto the same step as Chrissi, still talking, trying to get passed him and get to the door. He never said it out loud, but he clearly expected those words to leave him bemused for long enough for the Doctor to slip passed and leave them outside.

He underestimated Chrissi far too much.

Chrissi is not just a thug and henchman for uncle Ricky, he is also the heir to the main part of the family's money. So while he is highly intelligent, he has gotten far too used to following fast long sentences and words with ease. Often politicians and fellow gangster members like to have the heirs tested, so they would pull something similar, to see just how much they could trust or get away with when it came to be Chrissi's turn. As such, he now has a very impressive, if very annoying, skill- he doesn't really have to listen to every word a person has said to him, he can get the gist of it without even bothering to ask for a repetition. It's not exactly eidetic memory, but it serves its purpose.

And it certainly didn't serve the Doctor's purpose at this point. Instead of looking baffled, Chrissi put his arm out to stop the other man from passing and looked down at him at him with a cold hard stare.

"I told you," he said slowly, as if talking to someone who needed the slightest thing explained to them, "Zizi is busy. Uncle Ricky needs her for something. We wait until they sort it out. Then, if and only if it is appropriate, you may be able to see them. Until then-"

His words were cut off by a high pitched sound that no one would doubt was my screaming, which managed to pierce through the door like no other sound had ever been able to, Chrissi likened it to a knife through butter.

All three of them, in perfected synchronization, clamped their hands to their ears, crouching away from the sound, features screwed up as if they were in pain, eyes watering a little.

Chrissi told me he could feel his blood turn to ice in his veins.

Joanna claimed her heart almost jumped from her mouth.

The Doctor on the other hand, just shrugged and said it was good timing and a damn good indicator that he was really needed there. Of coarse with the over use of his very stretched 'well'. All the same, it seemed to me that he was skirting around the fact that he had truly thought the worst had happened.

Of coarse after the long moments that made up my screaming, there came the sound of the resounding slap.

Then silence.

All three looked at one another. Waiting for something else to follow. Perhaps a blast of anger from uncle Ricky, the same as I had been hoping for, or some sort of confirmation that the scream had not been a human sound. Though both of my cousins told me that the sound was unmistakable. Apparently I used to make a similar sound some night when I first arrived, those nights it was hard to get me back sleep. All I remember of those nights were blurs of tears, sore throats, terror and a wishfulness that I didn't know at the time.

My two cousins looked to the Doctor, carefully moving their hands from their ears, a little worried there could be a repeat. They waited for him to move, while he looked at Chrissi. He had persuaded Joanna, now he had to achieve the same thing with Chrissi.

"I can help," the doctor said finally, "and I will do everything I possibly can to help Zizi, you have my word." He put his hand out to take Chrissi's, a human gesture of trust.

Chrissi must have studied him for a good ten seconds before he made a move. What he saw stood before him was a strange man, dressed in a dark brown pin stripped suit with a tie, a long brown trench coat, light brown hair sticking up at off angles, a large aquiline nose above with were the big, fathomless pools of brown that made his eyes. His expression was that of sincerity. The eyes that bore into his own reflected that.

So he took the same leap of faith than Joanna and I had taken before him, and took the stranger's hand and shook it firmly. Then pulled him towards him, knocking the Doctor off balance. He caught the other man (alien's) shoulder with his free hand and growled in his most threatening henchman tone, "if you're fucking with me, I'll teach you the reality of sleeping with the fishes… and believe me, it's not as pleasant as sinking to a river floor.

"Ah, Christoforo!" the Doctor sounded very pleased, with hand released he put them on the taller man's shoulders, "I expect nothing less from you !So then- ALLONS-Y!" He stepped passed him, not even waiting to see if the two would follow him, and made a beeline straight for the conference room's door.

Behind him, baffled at this sort of attitude, Chrissi and Joanna just looked at each other, not entirely sure what to make of the situation. But the want to know what was actually happening was too strong for them to ignore. So they followed the doctor into the room. With my uncle studying the screen of the machine that I was strapped to and the Thenta's disguises were still deactivated.

I wish I could have seen their reactions. While Joanna and Chrissi both told me all they did was freeze and perhaps yelp a little. The Doctor told me that Chrissi went completely white, staring, his jaw dropped open as if he had been frozen mid scream. Joanna stopped, stared, blinked several times before she let out a short scream, one hand then flew upwards and clamped over her own mouth her other hand had reached out to grab Chrissi in order to keep herself up right.

Somehow I think this account is a little more accurate than the ones those two gave me. I did wander why they didn't just turn and run screaming from the room. I mean… Isn't that more logical? It's pretty much what I did. What else would you do if you were faced with two huge, worse than nightmare monsters, standing before you, quite calm, with the distinct feeling that they would kill you if they were bothered?

Instead they stayed put, Joanna holding on to Chrissi, his hand having reached up to cover hers, her knuckled turning white with her grip as he squeezed her back. Clearly not even registering the pain that he should have been in.

They finally caught sight of me. No one spoke, but Chrissi's colouring came back, he even went a little red. Apparently I was breathing in little shallow bursts, whimpering a little. Sweat across my face, my arms and legs tensed, my hands limp, fingers trying to move.

Joanna told me she had the immediate urge to try and release me from my bonds, but still couldn't move. Then noticed I was actually attached to the monstrosity, and concluded that such action may have made matters worse.

Not a bad conclusion for someone I had always thought was not all that intelligent.

Still torn she looked to the doctor. On first inspection, his fact appeared impassive. But as she looked closer, Joanna realised he was staring at me, a hint of anger growing behind the blank expression. Then his attention went to the machine that I was attached to.

It was Chrissi that found his voice first.

"What the fuck is going on?" it came out low, controlled and far more powerful than he actually felt.

It must have been the voice of his son that made him realise what had happened. Coming to his senses, he scowled at the group of people before him, one of which was put in place to prevent such things from happening.

"What did I-" he tried to start.

Chrissi simply was not having it. He had been lied to, clearly deceived by his father and these monsters. A sense of betrayal took over from his fear. "What's going on, _father_," he only used the formal when he was angry with his patriarch, "what's wrong with Zizi? And what in the name of Christ are those things?" With his free hand he pointed at the Thentas, still trying to formulate a coherent idea of what they could possibly be. His body still shook somewhat, trying to regain some sense of control seemed a little out of his reach. At the same time, there was no less power in his voice.

Ricky paused, assessing the situation, and took a different tact. Instead of anger, he took to trying to placate his son and niece. "It's in order to help the machine," he explained in softer tones, "she only appears that way because of the initial contact with the machine. She'll be more active when she gets used to it."

"So…" Joanna had found her voice, and it was impossible for her to disguise her horror, "so Zizi is the only reason it's working?"

Ricky shrugged, nonchalantly. "Yes I suppose so." His tone was indifferent, as though he didn't particularly care that it was the case. Instead he focused on the Doctor. "And who are you?" his tone was his usual cool, measured, calculated tone.

"Me? I'm the Doctor!" and so the Doctor pretty much sprang into action, ignoring all those around him, he walked straight towards the machine, only affording the Thentas a moment's glanced each, "you Thentas are far more resourceful than I gave you credit for. I thought I'd destroyed your disguises. I underestimated you- must remember not to do that again."

"But who-"

The Doctor wasn't listening, he rarely does that when he's interested in something I've realised. In this case he was examining the machine closely, talking aloud. Which by the way will probably make no sense considering the Doctor didn't really remember what he had said and my cousins were too baffled by his talk to be able to relay it back effectively.

"Funny thing about diviner machines, or divisor, what ever you want to call them, especially the ones I've seen and I have seen a lot though they seem to be from the far off distant future from here. And never before on Earth! Time travel yes, but this thing? Never! Anyway- the funny thing about them is that they always resemble mind controllers, mass mind controllers that is. Well-" his classic stretched out use of the word, as he examined, her moved around it, studying the physical workings of the machine, moving very quickly to the panel, taking everything about the machine in, without touching it. "They have a good many components in common with one another! They have to be able to access parts of the brain you don't know about and be able to manipulate the temporal warps as well as make sure they don't influence the time streams too much. Could result in damages to all involved Very caref…" He paused. No- he just stopped.

Around him, all of those there just stared at him. ALmost nothing of what he had said really made any sense to them what so ever. Even to the advanced Thenta's. Instead they just tried to listen intently and pick out any words and phrases that together could make his speech make sense to them. Even Chrissi's skill had no real effect.

On the other hand the Doctor had reached me. In my semi-conscious state all I can remember is sensing a familiar and friendly presence close to me, not that I could do anything about it, but it was nice to know that they were still out there.

"Very… very careful…" he was repeating himself, quietly, as he examined my head without touching me at all, looking close at where I was attached to the machine, watching the shackles that held me in place, watching my reactions to what was happening to me.

Then he looked up. Joanna and Chrissi told me the same thing, his entire countenance had changed, dramatically. It had been so sudden and caught them so unawares that all in that room, at precisely the same moment, stepped back, away from him.

He was staring, his neck bent a little so the shadows fell eerily across his features. The effect was that he looked gaunt, ghost like and beyond anything of human understanding. And by the looks of things, beyond some alien understanding. The old eyes were no longer pools of time, they were fiery pits of fury. To call him angry would not have been able to capture the intensity of the emotion. Both my cousins told me they could feel the hair on the napes of their neck stand on end, even though they were full aware that all this rage was not aimed at them.

They found themselves stepping closer to one another, Joanna's free hand now clamped onto Chrissi's upper arm, the contact being the only thing stopping her from feeling as though she were going mad. Chrissi on the other hand felt as though he were loosing the plot entirely.

The Doctor looked at uncle Ricky. He paled, looking almost ghostly white. He was the one who scared people, people didn't scare him. As far as we knew, uncle Ricky wasn't afraid of anything. But clearly the anger of the creature shook him to say the least.

He finally looked away from the man to the Thentas. But rather than fear, he was faced with borderline cockiness! They simply looked back at him, with arms crossed, with the same self satisfied expression that I had identified as my cousins had sensed too.

"What are you trying to do?" he said, keeping his voice low, though it shook with the effort it took to keep controlled, "this is a system's converts… an environment controller- what are you trying to do?"

"Oh I think you know what we're trying to do, Doctor," snarled the female, Joanna and Chrissi both had the same reaction I had to her voice, the desperate desire to cover their ears. "You are not a stupid male."

"But this- it'll kill her! Is what what you want?"

"An unfortunate out come," she shrugged, "but with the energy within her, by the time that happens we will have achieved out ends."

He looked back to me. Still sweating and moaning, body tensed and limp at the same time, fingers trying to move. He moved towards me, apparently his intention to free me was clear. Though he didn't notice that no one tried to stop him.

Instead on of the Thentas spoke, "I wouldn't."

The Doctor looked at it, him, I guess.

"Currently the machine is ensuring her life. If you detach her," his tone was disgustingly smug, around him the room seemed to go quiet, very still. "You detach her and you will be the one who kills her."


	8. Learning Cooperation

A/N: Ah autumn, the beauty of the colours, the bitter sweetness of the fallen leaves and the start of university, some very pointless lectures, work and freshers flu. Still- I hope this chapter is up to scratch even with all those problems! I would like to thank animemonkey13 for their review! I take that as a compliment, the episode writers are definitely far better than my work! Enjoy the next installment.

Chapter 8

Learning Cooperation

It seemed like moments passed. The Doctor hadn't moved. As though he couldn't. His eyes locked on the creatures, who seemed somewhat nonchalant about the attention. His stare wasn't that of shock. It was much more of fury and frustration. He was suddenly powerless to help. He couldn't exactly leave me like that! But what else could he do? He knew nothing about the machine… and these machines always had a catch a safety valve to them, a way out. He just had to buy himself more time. Even then, there wasn't really enough time for him to attempt to do that. He'd have to think fast.

Around him the room was moving back into action, as though his movement would no longer have any relevance to what they would do.

The Thentas were reactivating their disguises, calm as calm could be. The Doctor has ceased to be a threat to them since they had threatened him with the life of his newly found friend, on any action he would do. It was likely that their cockiness was what would result in their downfall.

Poor Joanna and Chrissi were still unable to move. Still trying to process what they had been faced with. Until then, neither could really do anything. Their uncle and father, respectively, had just found out that his niece would be attached to the machine for the rest of her natural life. He hadn't even battered an eyelid in response. Instead he had simply strode over to the door, knocked upon it and called to one man outside to bring in more thugs into the room. They kept willing themselves to move, to reprimand the patriarch, to demand to know what he was playing at.

Observing all of this, the Doctor turned to me, and grabbed my fingers, pressing his mouth towards my ear, whispering desperately, "I'm so sorry- I will get you of this. I promise you, I will." He squeezed my fingers, rested his forehead against the crown of my own, the straightened and turned to look at uncle Ricky, released me, standing to the right of me. Almost expressionless as he composed his thoughts.

His intention was to try and appeal to uncle Ricky's sense of family. As much as the Doctor had told me previously that uncle Ricky was heartless, a thug, a man who would take advantage of the people around him for his own gains, he still believed there was good in everyone, even gangsters like uncle Ricky. And he did have emotional links to people he considered family, the Doctor had seen that to an extent. He had to at least try. Besides with that on his side, the Doctor felt he would have more of a chance to be able to save me and ultimately the human race that he had come to love so much.

Then the door opened, letting in two huge men that lumbered towards him with all their masses. These two were clearly apart of the family. They were dressed in smart black suits, black ties, and ivory white button up shirts. Both were hulking masses of muscle, built like brick shit houses (if you'll forgive the cliché). The black man was bald, the hispanic man had closely cropped dark hair, both with blank, serious expressions on their faces. The whites of their eyes were clear, their noses clean, neither made a move to touch them or sniff, these two clearly kept their bodies clean, worked out cleanly, and were stronger and faster because of it. What's more is that uncle Ricky only ever employed those who could further him, as a result you could bet they were both very intelligent to boot. It's always an annoying mix for someone who was trying to find their way out of a tight situation. Just like we were.

"So," the Doctor spoke slowly, evidently catching them all off guard, the thugs stopped, the now disguised Thentas and Ricardo looked at him, the Time Lord's focus was entirely on the crime lord, "you're just going to her here like this?" he indicated towards me, "you saved her life, she told me herself that you did. You adopted her, loved her… you're really going to leave your niece- your daughter to die here?" There was a pause. "For what? Money? Freedom? Personal gain? She's your daughter! She's one of-"

Uncle Ricky had looked him in the eye throughout. Then, quickly, his eyebrow raised. With it, all his distain and lack of love beyond what he could gain was made visible. The expression was of explicit boredom and disregard for anything the Doctor had said.

"You honestly believe that I care what happens to her," it was a statement, not a question. There was a little disbelief in his tone, but mostly he was mocking him, almost as if he were talking to a child who was insisting fairies was real.

As he spoke those words Chrissi told me he could not bring himself to even look at his father, for guilt as well as shame. He feel his blood boiling in his veins, his muscles, thoughts, every part of him was consumed with the want- the need to change what was happening to him. At the same time he felt completely helpless. It wasn't just because he was still coming to terms with what was happening to him and his family because of the whims of uncle Ricky, but also because he felt that Ricky held all the cards. Acting now would be foolish.

Joanna… Joanna was completely numb.

Uncle Ricky continued, in an almost blasé manner, that simply wound up his present family and the Doctor even further. "She isn't really one of us. She's not my niece, not my daughter- there is quite simply no blood link there. There is implicate loyalty to blood, anyone and everyone who comes from outside the family know that. And they know damn well they will do things in order to help the betterment of the many."

"You sound like a Dictator," commented the Doctor, "trying to make excuses for his poor decisions."

Joanna was trying to cover her sobs, that were getting more and more violent. All she could feel was a rejection for the words her uncle was speaking. It was wrong- just wrong! She didn't love me because I was her blood. She loved me because I was her family. Someone she cared about. Who cared about her. We did things for each other, comforted, fought, enjoyed, argued, teased- she thought that was the way family worked. She thought that was how her family worked. Now her uncle, the head of the entire extended family was claiming that it was not the case. She could feel her heart breaking inside her rib cage.

"Poor decisions? You don't believe that… besides- this girl knew what she was getting into. If she had been used for this, it would have been something else. Think about it- she got her job as a copper to help cover up what we do. She was pretty good at it too. But eventually she would have been used as a fall guy- that's what double agents get used for in the end. So I suppose in that way- you are right sir, I am a dictator, for survival of my family. For our success." He snarled, almost happily. "It's the nature of the beast, I'm sure you knew that. Don't look so surprised."

I'm certain Chrissi's face was getting redder and redder, it would have been very difficult to hide, but uncle Ricky was on a roll and nothing was going to stop him from his feelings of triumph. Every aspect of his being was fighting against what his father was preaching. It sounded wrong. It felt wrong. It _was _wrong. But since when did he disagree with his father? This man had the mind of a genius business man, whether it was legitimate or not. Ever decision he had made thus far had made a gain for the family, even his act of charity towards me. And now, all that history was taking a back seat, purely because he was trying to take down a corner stone of his son's philosophy: family.

"It's simply the way our family works. You don't have to like it. But as of right now, you have to get used to it."

That was it- in Chrissi's mind that was a lie and that was wrong. That was a leap for him, his father was wrong.

The Doctor on the other hand felt as though he should have been expecting such a reply. It proved what he had been telling me since the moment he met me, that as far as Ricardo was concerned, if you couldn't gain something from something then there was no point in it. That went for people, animals, ideas, machines and otherwise. At the same time, he could not shake the horror of actually hearing it aloud. Surely people weren't really like that- it was then that my cousins caught his eye, and he was encouraged by their reaction. Shock. Horror. Disgust. And, most obviously, anger towards this charismatic man. Clearly Ricardo was not as common in his thinking within his own family as he would like to thing. There was a chance. And any chance that there was had to be taken.

So he spoke again. His voice was soft, trying to dig in towards a softer center that he believed existed in uncle Ricky. "It doesn't have to be like that," he took a step towards him, "you're a man of the world, you know how it works. Things change, they develop. That how we have this planet the way it in. That's how human's came to exist in the first place-"

"I think," uncle Ricky almost spat from his lips, disgust resonating through every word he spoke, "we have heard enough of your drivel." He waved a hand for his thugs to carry on, to grab the Doctor. "The basement please, boys."

"Sir," one said, no one was sure which one.

But the Doctor is the Doctor after all. His personality has this annoying habit… it results in what I repeatedly call verbal diarrhea, and he did not shut up. Even as the thugs took him by the arms, he struggled against then, and spoke loudly. "Ricardo you're making a mistake! Don't be ridiculous! Those buggalows will betray you, don't be so blind sighted by the gain they're claiming you can have! They're not doing what they've claimed they're doing! And I swear you'll find out the hard way-"

Uncle Ricky stood in the middle of the room, still looking at the door, shaking his head, "the Brits have always been distinctly mad."

Outside the thugs practically dragged the Doctor down the stairs, towards the lift to take him to where uncle Ricky had ordered them to. He tried everything! He tried talking to them about their lives, trying to get an explanation of what was going on out of them, trying to explain to them what was happening, even complimenting them!

But of coarse, they were hired because they were good, and like any good thug, they just ignored him. I think it's very likely they didn't even hear a word he was actually saying. The Doctors efforts were futile.

As they stepped into the employee lift, the black man looked at the doctor, eyebrow raised, and spoke with a thick accent he couldn't place, though he suspect Haitian, "shut the fuck up or I'll knock you out."

The Doctor frowned (admittedly I think there was also a pout). "You really are very unpleasant boys aren't you?"

The Hispanic man spoke, this time he could place the accent, very much a New York boy, "right now, buddy, we are being very pleasant." He bared his teeth at the Doctor, not even pretending to smile.

"Hummm," the Doctor murmured to himself, then decided to take the threat into serious consideration, and clamped his jaw shut (something I wish I could have been witness to). Instead, because he is apparently incapable of keeping quiet, he started humming to himself, and looked around his surroundings with great interest.

They reached the basement, with a hard grip on the Doctor's arms, the two men pushed the alien out into the corridor first, quite forcefully, pushing him down into the dark, dingy, damp, dank underground warren of the hotel. They only lead him a little way into the tunnels, the Doctor still looking around, humming innocuously, looking completely fascinated by the dripping pipes and the rust stained on the walls.

As they reached the door, the Hispanic man unlocked the door, the black man pushed the significantly small man inside. They looked at each other as the Doctor still looked around humming, and rolled their eyes.

"You know," the black man spoke, as they closed the door, "I think the humming was worse than the talking."

"What are you on about?" his partner replied, "the humming was at least tuneful. This," he raised a hand, making a gesture of someone talking rapidly, "was way too much to handle. None of it made sense anyway."

The door slammed shut with a hefty thud. Closely followed by the sound of a rusty lock being forced shut.

The Doctor stood in the middle of the room, his humming trailing off slowly. He was waiting for a good few minutes. He didn't want them coming back unexpectedly and find him scrabbling around looking for a way out. He didn't really want to see them being unpleasant. He figured he should take their word for it and assume it to be very unpleasant.

When he finally felt it to be safe, he pawed at his jacket and pulled out his sonic-screwdriver, and carefully began examining the room, trying to find an escape route. He had to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Coming back to the conference room, I had begun to resurface to a coherent consciousness, with enough understanding to not move too much least I bring back the wrath that nearly knocked me out.

I think it was the Doctor's touch that had pulled me away from my misery of my memories and the shock of the slap, back to reality. I sort of wished he hadn't. I have to be honest, I didn't really hear what the Doctor had said to me while he was saying it, though he later told me what he had said, it seemed to make sense, like I recognised them. On the other hand, I heard every word that uncle Ricky had said.

I felt betrayed, to say the least.

I had tried using my mantra again. He saved… my… life…

Somehow, that string of words seemed to have lost all meaning and purpose now. Perhaps his act had started life as an act of kindness from his heart. Maybe he really had taken to me when he had first met. What ever our relationship had started out with, had been destroyed with his preoccupation with gain and the discovery that I could be utilized for his gain.

I'm not sure betrayed quite covers how I felt.

Tears fell from my eyes. As silently as possible. I certain no one noticed. I wasn't yet strong enough for them to realise I was conscious yet. Besides, the machine's functions were at zero, but for ensuring that I could be kept alive for later use. I could feel it's light energy at this point pulsing through me. It wasn't quite draining me any more, not like it had been before. At this point it was like we were in a symbiosis. It wasn't going to be like that if they turned it on to full blast like they intended.

So I knew, I had to keep that from happening as long as possible. Either long enough for help, or long enough that I had enough strength to do something.

What I didn't know.

Meanwhile, uncle Ricky finally turned to those in the room he apparently considered to be his true family, Joanna and Chrissi. I think the two may have failed to disguise their fear and fury too well as they returned his gaze. Chrissi's was much, much stronger than Joanna's, he managed to hold his father;s gaze for the entire conversation, almost challenging him to a confrontation, and damn the consequences of it!

So, clearly an attempt to keep the peace and power on his side, uncle Ricky spoke. "You do realise," his voice was kept low, soft, measured, his eyes narrow, letting his threat carry through his expressive tones and eyes. Something he was very good at, "you are either with us, or," a dramatic pause, "you're against us." He smiled at them. Nastily. Clearly an expression to frighten them and make them uncomfortable. They had both seen it before. But never before had it been directed towards them. Neither could control the shiver that struck their back. "Make the right decision."

Chrissi made the first move, knowing there was no way Joanna could. He almost spat his reply at his father. Finally he felt as though something within him had snapped, broken- smashed. And all because something inside his father had done the same thing. There was always a point of no return with men in his position, and Chrissi felt that Ricardo had definitely reached his. Enough was enough.

"Of coarse, we're on your side, dad," he smiled back, it was forced, it didn't quite meet his eyes as it should have done, but there was enough of a smile there to reassure him that he had his son's loyalty. "Did you even have to ask? You would know the answer! Blood is thicker than water after all. We know that. Right, Joji?"

He had to nudge her, just a little, just enough to encourage to speak again. She only had to speak enough to make uncle Ricky think he had her on his side too. She swallowed, hard, and forced herself to speak.

"Ye- yes, uncle Ricky. We're- we're with you, always…" she only just managed to choke out, unable to look at me any more, feeling that even her words were adding to my betrayal.

But even in my state of regaining energy and consciousness, I could feel the lies in the room. These felt different to the ones before. They felt… friendlier is the only way to describe it, and even that's not quite right. What it really is… is that white lies, lies told in order to help another, a lie told not for one's own gain, always felt less disgusting to me that a lie told for self gain and malice. I have never really understood why, a lie is a lie after all.

Still… I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, which quickly disappeared with the agony I was in.

"Good… very good!" uncle Ricky was clearly very satisfied with these answers, he walked forewords, "why don't you," he turned the two away from me, and pushed them towards the door, his arms around their shoulders as guidance, "make sure that our guests are still enjoying themselves downstairs. I'm sure I'll be joining you again said soon."

The two nodded, and left as uncle Ricky opened the door for them to leave.

Chrissi was now highly focused. He didn't look back once he was out the door, and quickly made a beeline for straight down the stairs. The only reason that Joanna left as quickly was because she was being pulled from the room by her cousin. She kept wanting to stay, to look back at me, just to make sure… to reassure- to do something! Still, she was out of the room before she could collect herself.

They reached the lobby, which seemed to be deserted. The thugs from the ball room had been recalled in order to guard the conference room, and most people were being directed away from the lobby and encouraged to use other routes to get to their rooms from the atrium.

Even so, Chrissi pulled Joanna into an alcove, and sat her on the sofa.

She promptly burst into tears, her long fingers and immaculate nails covering her face, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably with the sobs that had been building since she had first stepped into the conference room. Between sobs, she tried to choke out an apology, an explanation, just something so she could stop herself from crying and collect herself into something more useful. Instead it was making matters worse.

Chrissi sat beside her on the sumptuous black leather sofa, feeling that their surroundings were somewhat unsuitable for their situation. He pulled her into a hug, wrapped his arms around her upper body, holding her tightly. He let her cry at the base of his neck as she clutched at his shoulders for more support.

He suddenly felt as though they were in their mid teens again. It wasn't unlike the times a boy had broken her heart and as the closest thing she had to a big brother, she came sobbing to him. As he hugged her in comfort he plotted ways to come up with something to get his revenge on this person who had so hurt his family.

In many ways this was no different. Perhaps a bigger scale, perhaps it had deadlier consequences, but in his mind it was just the same. Someone had hurt someone he loved deeply and he was going to make sure they paid for it. No matter what.

And with that he came to his own conclusion.

"I'm not going to stand for this- I can't put up with what he's done."

There was a pause. Joanna's sobs calmed and she looked up at him, still unable to speak, the question was in her eyes.

"My father. It's wrong. Something has to be done about it. Who better than me do it?"

"But… but what? How?" she stammered out. She breathed in deeply, getting her breath back. She pulled away from him sitting up on her own, opening her little hand bag that still hung off her shoulder. From inside she pulled out tissues and a mirror. First blowing her nose, they trying her best to clean up her make up. Which was completely ruined. "He's… he's uncle Ricky. He's the boss!"

"I know," he replied, almost cheerfully, because he felt he knew what to do now. He took a clean tissue from her hands, and turned himself around so he was facing Joanna straight on. Dabbing against her face gently, he helped to tidy the black stains around her eyes and the streaks that had made their way down her cheeks. He smiled at her. "And we can't do it alone."

She gasped at him, moving away a little, her finger tips to her mouth. "We can't involve anyone else!" She was horrified at the very idea of exposing anyone else to those creatures and that dreadful machine.

"We won't be involving any… I suppose outsiders," he promised her, "it'll only be those who are already involved." He gave her meaningful looks, hoping she would catch his drift. It was always a fifty/fifty chance with her.

She looked back at him expression blank, clearly somewhat baffled. Then realisation broke across her face. "But- how- can-"

"Escape!"

"What?" clearly thinking that her beloved cousin had lost his mind.

"I'll help him escape. After all, he seems to be the only one who can do anything. I think he just needs out help too."

"Do you trust him?"

He just looked at her eyebrows raised. "Not yet, we don't know him well enough. But it's not like we have a choice. He knew what that thing was, those creatures seemed afraid of him at first and… well I gathered from what he was saying he knew what he was doing. More than that… he was putting his neck out to help Zizi. That had to down for something. I get the feeling there is something more to the man than just a funny British accent."

She paused, mulling over what he had said. The nodded. It made sense. And it seemed to her, at the time at least, that he and I were fond of one another. Definitely a bit of a stretch at that point. I won't deny there was a rapport, certainly, but not much more. Though she wasn't about to tell Chrissi any of that. It may have seemed trivial, but she didn't need his mind clouded by his possessive, protective big brother mode.

"So what do I do?"

He looked at her sharply. That was not really something he had been expecting her to say. "You- you stay safe. You go back and keep an eye on the party. Nothing more. I don't want you getting her. Enough of my family is in that room, I couldn't stand it if something happened to you too. No more people in there than is-"

"She's my sister too," she retorted, hotly, scowling at him, almost offended by his protectiveness, "I couldn't just stand in that room with a fake smile plastered across my face, making all sorts of excuses for why people are absent and small talk. I'd die of fright wandering what is happening to you all!" She paused, biting her lip. She knew what she wanted to do… she just wasn't sure she should voice it. "I'll just…" She took a breath and tried again. "I'll just stay with her."

He sat back from her, looking at her with raised eyebrows. Surprised at her assertion. "You- what?"

"I just want her to know that we still love her. No matter what's happening, or what uncle Ricky has said. I mean… what if she heard us? What if she thinks we really are on uncle Ricky's side? I can't have her thinking it's the truth! Let me stay with her, hold her hand… you know it's probably the only useful thing that I _can_ do!"

A smile spread across Chrissi's face, he started laughing, a chuckle deep in his chest, vibrating his body a little. He pulled her close to him again, and planted a kiss to the top of her head. "All right- all right!" he relented, secretly a little grateful he'd have her there with him, "but you have to promise me something."

She looked up at him a little suspiciously.

"The minute anything kicks off, you get outta there! You leave, hide, just make sure you're somewhere safe and well out of harms way. No matter what is happening."

Joanna looked at him, her eyes hard, biting her lip stubbornly. It's something she generally does if someone is trying to make her do something she doesn't want to. It's almost as if it's a physical manifestation of her not letting her say those words.

"Joanna," he said sternly, recognising the habit.

She heaved a sigh. "All right, fine! I promise." She shivered for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his waist, hiding her face in his chest. "Keep safe ok?" he voice came out muffled, not just because of the materiel and body in the way.

"As safe as I can be," he responded, then added, "I always am." He didn't want to worry her.

Then she stood out of the hug, and left in a flurry of hair, dress and heels, not looking back. She was utterly terrified of what she was about to do. But she could not let that hold her back from what she knew she had to do. So she had to keep moving, to make sure she didn't loose her nerve.

She climbed up the stairs, quickly and quietly, she could usually manage that when she was determined to do something she considered important. The floor of the conference room, the two new guards were talking amongst themselves of girls or sport, not really paying as much attention to their job as they should have been doing. So she slipped behind them with no attention paid towards her.

She opened the door, and walked in bolder than she probably felt, and shut it behind her with a snap, taking in her surroundings. The room hadn't changed. The Thentas had deactivated their disguises again and had been looking up at her in surprise, clearly not expecting any more intrusions to their work.

This time she didn't have Chrissi for support, so as she looked upon those forms again, she ended up feeling light headed and highly nauseous. Almost loosing her nerve again, and becoming rooted and silent once again, she caught sight of me. Small, limp, helpless, attached to the machine that would ultimately kill me. She drew strength from the fact that she had to help me escape me, and comforting me what her best way of doing so. There was no time to panic or give in to the urge to get away from the urge to run away as fast as possible. This was for her loved one and, if from what she understood of what the Doctor had said, and if it was anything to go by, for humanity itself.

Uncle Ricky was looking at her too, eyebrows raised, surprised by her entrance.

"Joanna?" he spoke all too calmly, though the tone he used made her hair stand on end. It wasn't purely anger either. She snapped her attention towards him, making herself focus on what needed to be done, not just what she wanted to do. As her eyes locked onto his, she forced all the anger she could from her expression. He needed to think she was his harmless little niece. "I thought I told you to attend to the guests."

"I- I couldn't go back," she admitted, keeping some truth in her words would make her lie all the more easier to swallow. Especially when she found pure lying so difficult. "uncle Ricky, you know that I love you and I will always side with you… but Zizi has been my cousin for so long, almost my sister. I can't completely ignore my feelings for her, you know me." She took a breath. She had to make this sound convincing. He had to think her innocent. She could not be turned away. "I know she's scared at the moment, she's learned so much and at the same time she probably doesn't really know what's happening. It's understandable really. I just want to sit with her. For a little while. So she isn't scared any more, you know? Maybe when she's not so scared any more, she'll be able to help you with this… this thing better."

It became immediately very clear that uncle Ricky considered Joanna a singularly stupid girl and utterly incapable of any sort of complex thought, so a lie of any kind was out of the question. Thus she could only be speaking the truth to him. As a result, he relented and nodded. "Very well, Joji, you may stay for the time being." He smiled at her, the first honest smile he had given her for what she felt to have been a very long time. He came foreword, took her by the hand and lead her towards my seat.

Now, I have to say, as I have said before, no Joanna is not the brightest spark of a person on earth. She is not, however, a moron. She is perfectly capable of lying, even if she's not always good at it. She is capable of complex thought, ideas and feelings, but more often than not she prefers not to do so. As such, uncle Ricky's treatment of her must have fueled her anger towards him even further. As she came to sit beside me, I could practically feel all that ferocious, negative energy directed towards uncle Ricky, becoming more and more amplified.

When she reached me, and uncle Ricky had left, to converse more with the Thentas, she pulled out more tissues and dabbed away the sweat from my forehead and the tears from my cheeks. Now much closer, she told me that she could my muscles had become more relaxed, at least they weren't as tense and twisted as they had been earlier. For a moment or two her heart leapt to her mouth as she feared I had passed out. Or perhaps even worse.

In her fear she reached out and took a hold of my hand, whispering my name. On feeling her gentle touch, I felt comforted, so I squeezed her hand in reply. Out of both fear and comfort. Not just for me, for her too.

Joanna told me later she had to swallow down hard, biting the inside of her cheek in order to keep away the onslaught of more tears and remain strong. She was there to help me. Like she had been when I had first arrived in her life. She didn't want me to leave it again.


End file.
